WASHINGTON MENDING TIES WITH ANKARA
United Press International UPI
March 30 2010
WASHINGTON, March 30 (UPI) — Ankara is invited to return its
ambassador to Washington when it feels comfortable doing so, U.S. State
Department officials said in Washington.
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs
narrowly passed a non-binding resolution March 4 that classifies the
1915 killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire an act of genocide.
The Turkish government recalled Ambassador Namik Tan in protest of
the vote.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke by phone this week with
her Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on bilateral ties. Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected in Washington next
month to attend the International Nuclear Security Summit.
Ankara warned that the passage of the Armenia measure could spell
trouble for Turkish support for the U.S. war efforts in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Ankara’s relationship with Tehran, sure to be a factor
in next month’s summit, could be a factor as well.
U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, meanwhile, said that
while Washington recognized the weight of the Armenian resolution,
the Turkish envoy to Washington is welcome to return to his post.
"From our standpoint, we understand the reasons why Turkey recalled
its ambassador and we hope that the ambassador will be returned as
quickly as Turkey feels comfortable," he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
