Xinhua General News Service, China
March 6, 2010 Saturday 4:40 AM EST

Armenia welcomes nonbinding U.S. genocide resolution

MOSCOW March 6

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has welcomed a U.S. House
panel resolution branding the Ottoman-era killing of Armenians as
genocide, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.

The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday narrowly approved
a nonbinding resolution labeling the massive killings of Armenians by
the Ottoman Turks during World War I as "genocide."

Turkey denies the charge and has warned that adoption of the
resolution would hurt Turkish-U.S. ties. It said the resolution would
impede efforts to normalize relations with Armenia.

The White House had urged the committee to not adopt the "genocide"
resolution, which passed on a 23-22 vote.

Turkey condemned the resolution and temporarily recalled its
ambassador to the U.S. for consultations.

Nalbandian said he was perplexed by Turkey’s remarks.

"I do not think that tying the process of settling relations (between
Armenia and Turkey) to recognition of genocide, has any prospects,"
said the minister.

Without Turkish recognition of the genocide, it would be difficult for
the two countries to mend ties, Nalbandian said, adding that the
disruption of the process would harm Ankara more than Yerevan.

Armenians claim that more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a
systematic genocide in the hands of the Ottomans during World War I,
before modern Turkey was created in 1923.

The Turkish government insists the Armenians were victims of
widespread chaos and governmental breakdown as the 600-year-old empire
collapsed in the years before 1923, and has been trying to normalize
relations with Armenia.