APPROVAL OF NONBINDING RESOLUTION NOT TO IMPACT U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONS: BERMAN

news.am
March 4 2010
Armenia

Overwhelming majority of scientists, international experts are
unanimous on the fact that 1915 events in Ottoman Empire were
Genocide, said Howard Berman — the U.S. House Foreign Affairs
Committee Chairman, opening hearings on Genocide Resolution.

He stated that Nobel Prize winner, Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk was
persecuted in Turkey for recognizing the fact of Genocide. The
Congressman stressed that archives of U.S., France, UK, and Russia,
including Turkey’s allies during World War I – Germany, Austria and
Hungary contain materials proving the fact of Genocide.

One of the scholars studying Holocaust said that Armenian Genocide
resembles Holocaust. Moreover, in 1985 sub-commission of the UN
Commission on Human Rights recognized that massacres of Armenians
in Ottoman Empire are equal to Genocide, Berman noted. The Chairman
stressed that over 20 countries as well as European Parliament
recognized Genocide and U.S. must follow the lead. He also added that
despite Turkey’s statements about terrible consequences of Genocide
recognition by Congress, approval of non-binding resolution cannot
affect U.S.-Turkey relations.

Congressman Ros-Lehtinen opposed the resolution, underlining that
its passing will negatively impact Ankara.-Washington relations.