TODAY’S ZAMAN: ARMENIAN DIASPORA PRESSING FOR GENOCIDE RECOGNITION

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.02.2009 15:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Since U.S. President Barack Obama was elected
in November, analysts have cautioned, in reference to Ankara’s
expectations of the Obama administration, that the new White House
team would also have certain expectations from its transatlantic ally.

On Monday a White House statement announced that Obama had spoken
to both President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. The statement particularly noted that in both calls the
leaders discussed "the U.S. review on Afghanistan and Pakistan policy,"
as well as "U.S. support for the growing Turkish-Iraqi relationship"
and "the importance of cooperation in Middle East peace efforts."

In Ankara, during a press conference on Wednesday, Erdogan said that
he and Obama also discussed the Armenian Genocide issue.

While neither Erdogan nor Gul mentioned Afghanistan in their statements
regarding their talks with Obama, the U.S. didn’t mention the Armenian
Genocide in its own.

The wording of both sides’ statements has been read as declarations
of priority for each side in their bilateral relations.

Some observers in Ankara claim that the probability of a change in
Turkey’s strong determination to send combat troops to Afghanistan
could come on the agenda, given the fact that April 24, the day
the White House traditionally issues a statement on the Armenian
Remembrance Day, is approaching and the Armenian diaspora has already
started pressing American legislators to bring a Genocide resolution
to the U.S. Congress floor, Today’s Zaman reports.