Category: 2019

Armenian genocide bill: Mike Pence’s brother, Ilhan Omar among lawmakers who withheld support

Zhanna Nahapetian
Newsweek Magazine
Oct 30 2019
By David Brennan On 10/30/19 at 12:51 PM EDT

The House of Representatives enraged the Turkish government on Tuesday, voting overwhelmingly to pass a bill recognizing the early 20th century Ottoman genocide of the Armenian population living in the empire.

The bill was carried by 405 to 11 votes. Though it is not legally binding, the move is a significant rebuke of the Turkish government which has long denied that the genocide happened.

Another vote—which passed 403 to 16—presented a second challenge to Ankara, calling for sanctions on Turkish government officials and its armed forces in response to Turkey's invasion of northwestern Syria to attack the Kurdish-led U.S. allies holding the region.

The operation—termed "Peace Spring" by the Turkish government—has thrown a wrench in the works of U.S.-Turkish relations. President Donald Trump has vacillated between condemning the Turks and thanking them for the latest developments, though Congress has been more resolute in its opposition.

But among the dissenters on the Armenian genocide vote were notable holdouts from both parties. As well as the 11 who voted no, another three representatives voted present and 13 were not present to register their vote.

The 11 who voted no are all Republicans: Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, Rep. Greg Pence of Indiana, Rep. James Baird of Indiana, Rep. Susan Brooks of Indiana, Rep. Larry Buschon of Indiana, Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, Rep, Virginia Fox of North Carolina, Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, and Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, and Kevin Brady of Texas.

Pence's name in the no column is notable given the position of his brother—Vice President Mike Pence. The vice president flew to Ankara earlier this month to agree a ceasefire deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as U.S. troops were retreating from their positions in northern Syria.

Pence explained, "I have a lot of confidence in the president and the administration knowing what to do in Turkey, and I didn't want to interfere."

Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar was the only Republican representative to vote present, while two Democrats—Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Texas Rep. Eddie Johnson joined him. Omar, known for her strong human rights stance, came under fire for her decision.

Omar responded saying she did not wish a vote on recognizing genocide to be used as a political "cudgel." She added that any recognition of historic human rights abuses and genocides should include the transatlantic slave trade and the slaughter of Native Americans by settlers in America.

The Turkish foreign ministry said the vote was "shameful" and described it as a "meaningless political step" designed to appeal to the "Armenian lobby and anti Turkey groups."

The Turkish government still denies the genocide, which occurred during the final years of the collapsing Ottoman Empire. From roughly 1915 to 1923, more than 1 million Armenians are believed to have been killed. Turkey disputes this, and claims hundreds of thousands of Armenians died fighting against Ottoman forces.

The Ottoman government forcibly relocated hundreds of thousands of Armenians to the deserts of Syria and elsewhere during this period. Victims were either killed or died from starvation and exhaustion.


https://www.newsweek.com/armenian-genocide-bill-mike-pence-brother-greg-pence-ilhan-omar-lawmakers-withheld-support-turkey-1468728?fbclid=IwAR2mt_7aT339yUxv1y90HGfNem80QegEUEjuApqsA_Ci7iibREzlmgWWOro


House Votes to Recognize Armenian Genocide, Turkey Summons US Ambassador

Parkev Tvankchian
The Epoch Times
Oct 30 2019
 
 
House Votes to Recognize Armenian Genocide, Turkey Summons US Ambassador
 
By Zachary Stieber
Updated:    
 
 
 
The House of Representatives voted on Oct. 29 to recognize the Turkish genocide of Armenians during World War I.
 
The House approved a resolution 405-11 stating it is American policy to recognize and condemn the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923.
 
“Whereas, as displayed in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Adolf Hitler, on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by saying ‘[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?’, setting the stage for the Holocaust,” the resolution stated.
 
Along with rejecting “efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the United States Government with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide” the resolution said U.S. policy included encouraging “education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide."
 
The approval included 226 Democrats, 178 Republicans, and one independent.
 
Turkey in 1915. Armenians were marched long distances and said to have been massacred. (AP Photo)
 
“There is not a shadow of a doubt that the Armenian people were subject to a brutal genocide, and it is the duty of the American government and every government to shut down false claims or denials of what the Armenian people experienced,” Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) said in a statement.
 
“Genocides, whenever and wherever they occur, cannot be ignored, whether they took place in the 20th century by the Ottoman Turks or mid-20th century by the Third Reich and in Darfur. Today we end a century of international silence that will not be another period of indifference or international ignorance to the lives lost to systematic murder,” added Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.).
 
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), the only Armenian member of Congress, said in a statement: “I’ve been waiting for this moment since I first came to Congress 27 years ago.”
 
“Members of my own family were among those murdered, and my parents fled with my grandparents to America,” she added. “What all of the persecuted had in common was that they were Christians.”
 
 
Three representatives voted “present,” including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).
 
Omar said in a statement: “Accountability and recognition of genocide should not be used as a cudgel in a political fight. It should be done based on academic consensus outside the push and pull of geopolitics.”
 
“A true acknowledgement … must include both the heinous genocides of the 20th century, along with earlier mass slaughters like the transatlantic slave trade and Native American genocide,” she added.
 
Eleven representatives voted “nay,” all Republicans. Four were from Indiana.
 
Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.), the brother of Vice President Mike Pence, voted against the resolution.
 
“I have a lot of confidence in the president and the administration knowing what to do in Turkey, and I didn’t want to interfere,” Pence said.
 
Thirteen others, including representatives from both parties, did not vote.
 
Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned the resolution and another that called for sanctions on the country.
 
“The resolution as it stands is both against the U.S. and international law as it is an incrimination against the principles defined in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,” the ministry said in a statement. “There is no verdict of a competent court with regard to the 1915 events that establishes the crime of genocide. On the contrary, European Court of Human Rights delivered a milestone judgment which stipulates that 1915 events constitute a legitimate subject for debate.”
 
On Wednesday, Turkey summoned the American ambassador to file a formal protest.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Minnesota Armenians upset U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar didn’t support measure recognizing genocide

Karlen Baghdasarian
Minnesota Star Tribune
Oct 30 2019
 
 
Minnesota Armenians upset U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar didn't support measure recognizing genocide
 
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, shown this summer in Minneapolis.
 
By MARY LYNN SMITH , STAR TRIBUNE
– 3:07 AM
 
Members of the Twin Cities Armenian community criticized U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar on Tuesday for not supporting a measure that recognizes the century-old mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as a genocide.
 
The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to approve the measure in a clear rebuke to NATO ally Turkey in the wake of its invasion of northern Syria. Omar, however, was one of three members who voted “present.”
 
It passed 405-11 at a time when American lawmakers have criticized Turkey’s incursion against the Kurds along the Turkish-Syrian border.
 
In a statement, Omar, D-Minn., said she believes accountability for human rights violations, especially ethnic cleansing and genocide, is paramount.
 
“But accountability and recognition of genocide should not be used as cudgel in a political fight,” she said. She argued other atrocities, including the slave trade and the killings of Native Americans during colonization, need to be acknowledged.
 
 
The Rev. Tadeos Barseghyan, pastor at St. Sahag Armenian Church in St. Paul, said he was pleased by the vote but was disappointed by Omar. “This is recognizing the victims and their descendants,” Barseghyan said.
 
The argument that the politics today makes it the wrong time to vote on this is an excuse that American Armenians have heard before, he said.
 
“Is there a right or wrong time to … stand up for justice that she claims to be a champion for?” he asked.
 
Michele Byfield Angell, the parish council’s chair, said she wishes Omar had approved the resolution. “If [Omar] is going to be representing our community here, she should hear us. … If she’s voting present as acknowledging it but not doing anything about it, then what is she doing?
 
Gov. Tim Walz also weighed in, tweeting: “The Armenian Genocide is historical fact, and the denial of that fact is a continuation of the genocide. As a member of Congress, I sponsored this legislation. The memory of the victims and the commitment to the survivors demands that history acknowledge the lives lost.”
 
 The Associated Press and New York Times contributed to this report.
 
 
 http://m.startribune.com/minnesota-armenians-upset-u-s-rep-ilhan-omar-didn-t-support-measure-recognizing-genocide/564076352/?fbclid=IwAR2ffzWOr4nmseKVbfyRzLdaF9akiqYWeK6CAvcu5QzJAHcgSRidTU6wuL0
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Turkey summons US ambassador over Armenian genocide resolution

Antranik Varosian
Politico
Oct 30 2019

Ankara expresses anger at move by House of Representatives.

    By Zia Weise | 10/30/19, 11:26 AM CET | Updated 10/30/19, 4:51 PM CET

The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey David M. Satterfield | Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey has summoned the U.S. ambassador after lawmakers in Washington voted to recognize Ottoman-era mass killings of Armenians as a genocide and called for sanctions against Ankara.

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution recognizing the genocide — which Ankara denies — and passed a bill aiming to impose fresh sanctions on Turkey over its military operation against Syrian Kurdish forces.


In response, the Turkish government on Wednesday morning summoned David Satterfield, the U.S. representative in Ankara, the state news agency Anadolu reported.
The Turkish foreign ministry rejected the genocide recognition as “meaningless” and “devoid of any historical or legal basis” in a statement issued late Tuesday, suggesting that lawmakers had approved the resolution to “take vengeance” against Turkey over its incursion into Syria.

“Undoubtedly, this resolution will negatively affect the image of the U.S. before the public opinion of Turkey as it also brings the dignity of the U.S. House of Representatives into disrepute,” the statement added.

The Armenian genocide — the massacre and deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks in 1915 — is a sensitive issue in Turkey.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians in the Ottoman Empire died during World War I, but denies that the killings were systematic and firmly rejects the label genocide.

Most modern historians say that the killings do constitute genocide. In the EU, many countries and institutions have recognized the killings as genocide, often prompting outrage from Turkey.

The U.S. resolution comes amid deteriorating ties between Ankara and Washington following disputes over a number of issues, in particular Turkey’s recent Syria offensive.

The Turkish foreign ministry on Tuesday also condemned the U.S. lawmakers’ Syria sanctions bill, which passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 403 to 16. The draft legislation “is incompatible with the spirit of our NATO Alliance,” the ministry said.

To enact the sanctions — which target senior Turkish officials and would restrict weapons sales to Turkey — the bill still needs to pass the Senate and be signed off by President Donald Trump.





Turkey enraged after US House votes to recognise Armenian genocide

Emil Lazarian
The Telegraph, UK
Oct 30 2019
 
 
Turkey enraged after US House votes to recognise Armenian genocide
 
Relations between Turkey and the US are at a low point, despite Donald Trump's praise for the country
 
 Raf Sanchez
 30 OCTOBER 2019 • 2:01 PM
 
Turkey summoned the US ambassador on Wednesday in protest at votes in Congress to recognise the Turkish genocide against Armenians and to sanction Ankara for its military offensive in northeast Syria.
 
Turkey was outraged at the pair of votes in the House of Representatives and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s president, called the American accusations “worthless” and the “biggest insult” to the Turkish people.  
 
The votes come at a low point in US-Turkish relations. Mr Erdoğan is due to visit the White House to meet Donald Trump in two weeks’ time but it is unclear whether the visit will go ahead.
 
While Mr Trump continues to insist the country is a close American ally, members of Congress are intent on punishing Turkey for its actions in Syria. There is also widespread anger in Turkey over US support for Kurdish fighters who most Turks see as terrorists.
 
Meanwhile, it emerged that a Kurdish-recruited spy who helped the US track down Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may be in line for the $25 million (£19.4 million) bounty the American government placed on the Islamic State leader’s head.  
 
There is widespread anger in Congress over Turkey's offensive in Syria
 
David Satterfield, the new US ambassador, was summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry on so officials could lodge a formal protest against the votes which passed overwhelmingly on Tuesday night in Washington.
 
The first vote – which passed the House with 403 votes to 16 – would block the sale of weapons to Turkey for use in Syria and impose sanctions on a number of senior Turkish officials. Republicans defied Mr Trump to vote for the measure.
 
The Republican-controlled Senate looks unlikely to take up the bill, meaning it may never be enacted.
 
The second vote formally recognised the Ottoman Turks of committing a genocide against the Armenians from 1915-1923.
 
Around a million Armenians are estimated to have been killed in the mass slaughter. Turkey strongly refutes that its forebears committed genocide and says the real death toll is closer to 300,000.
 
“This step which was taken is worthless and we do not recognise it,” Mr Erdoğan said. “We consider such an accusation to be the biggest insult to our people.”
 
Ilhan Omar, the Muslim-American congresswoman frequently targeted by Mr Trump for racist attacks, was the only Democrat to vote against the sanctions on Turkey. She also abstained on the genocide vote, which was supported by 97 per cent of House members.
 
In a statement, she said the sanctions were “overbroad” and would “hurt civilians rather than political leaders”. She also said the question of genocide “should not be used as a cudgel in a political fight”.
 
“A true acknowledgement of historical crimes against humanity must include both the heinous genocides of the 20th century, along with earlier mass slaughters like the transatlantic slave trade and Native American genocide,” she said.
 
Ms Omar met with Mr Erdoğan in 2017 before she was elected to Congress.
 
It emerged this week that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) cultivated a source inside Baghdadi’s inner circle, who was able to steal the Isil leader’s underwear for DNA sampling and give US commandos a detailed layout out of his compound in northwest Syria.
 
The spy, who has not been identified, was whisked out of Syria and is now in line to receive some or all of the $25 million reward that the US offered for information leading to Baghdadi’s death or capture.
 
Mr Erdoğan said his forces had begun joint patrols in northern Syria with Russian forces to enforce a ceasefire agreement he struck with Vladimir Putin last week.
 
Russia insists that Kurdish forces have withdrawn from the border in line with the agreement but Mr Erdoğan said he was sceptical and was prepared to order a fresh assault on the SDF.
 
"If we see that the members of the terrorist organisation have not been moved out of the 30 km, or if attacks continue, no matter from where, we reserve our right to carry out our own operation," he said.
 
 
 

House overwhelmingly approves resolution recognizing Armenian genocide

Jhanna Virabian
Los Angeles Times
Oct 29 2019
 
 
House overwhelmingly approves resolution recognizing Armenian genocide
The Armenian Genocide Committee held its March for Justice demonstration in Los Angeles on April 24, 2018.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
By Sarah D. WireStaff Writer
Oct. 29, 2019
2:28 PM
 
WASHINGTON —
 
The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly reaffirmed that the U.S. government should recognize the century-old killings of 1.5 million Armenians as a genocide.
 
The resolution, which is not legally binding, marked the first time in 35 years that either chamber of Congress labeled as genocide the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, which is now modern-day Turkey, between 1915 and 1923 . A similar House resolution passed in 1984.
 
Support for the measure — particularly among some Democrats — grew after Turkey’s recent incursion against the Kurds along the Turkish-Syrian border, which killed about 200 Kurds and displaced more than 200,000.
 
“Given that the Turks are once again involved in ethnic cleansing the population — this time the Kurds who live along the Turkish-Syrian border — it seemed all the more appropriate to bring up a resolution about the Ottoman efforts to annihilate an entire people in the Armenian genocide,” said resolution sponsor Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank).
 
The vote on the bipartisan resolution came on the heels of House passage of economic sanctions against Turkey.
 
Turkey crossed the border on Oct. 9 and began attacks across a broad swath of northern Syria following President Trump’s announcement that U.S. forces would withdraw from the area. The United States had previously allied with Syrian Kurdish forces against Islamic State militants. The withdrawal drew swift condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans.
 
More than 40 states, including California, and several countries have recognized the genocide. But the Turkish government has refused to acknowledge it. And the U.S. government has stopped short of recognizing it by calling the deaths an “atrocity.”
 
The Turkish government acknowledges that the killings occurred but rejects the use of the term “genocide” to describe it, saying other countries should not pass legislation judging another country’s history.
 
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Schiff, who represents many of the estimated 200,000 Armenians living in Los Angeles County, has pushed the government for decades to recognize the genocide but hasn’t been able to overcome opposition from the Turkish government, a NATO ally.
 
Although there are currently no plans to bring the companion resolution up for a vote in the Senate, Schiff said the 405-11 bipartisan vote sent a strong message. “The Turkish lobby has few friends and allies anymore,” Schiff said.
 
Some lawmakers, including Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) questioned why the House was taking time to debate a nonbinding resolution dealing with atrocities committed 100 years ago when Congress had a lot left to accomplish in scant days before the end of the year, including preventing the government from shutting down when its spending authority expires Nov. 21.
 
“It remains unclear why we are urgently considering this resolution,” he said.
 
But longtime supporter of the effort Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Northridge) said it was important for the United States to take a stance, even so long after the fact.
 
“It is critical that we counteract Turkey’s genocide denial because genocide denial is the last act of a genocide,” Sherman said. “First, you obliterate a people, then you seek to obliterate their memory, and finally you seek to obliterate the memory of the obliteration.”
 
Southern California is home to the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia, and each spring, thousands march on a day of remembrance.

Russian defense minister hails military ties with Armenia

Toneyan Mark
Daily Independent/Your Valley
Oct 29 2019
Posted Tuesday, 12:23 pm

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's defense minister is visiting Armenia for talks about military cooperation between the ex-Soviet allies.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu hailed Armenia, which hosts a Russian military base, as Moscow's "key partner." He said Tuesday after inspecting the base that it serves as "the guarantor of stability in the Caucasus region."

The Russian base in Armenia has about 4,000 troops and air defense assets. The base's commanding officer reported to Shoigu that its capability has markedly increased with the deployment of new modern weapons systems.

Russia and Armenia have held joint military maneuvers and coordinated air defense operations. Russia also has provided Armenia with modern weapons, such as the Su-30 fighter jets.

ANCA: U.S. House Votes Overwhelmingly To Lock In Armenian Genocide Recognition, Rejecting Turkey’s Denial Of This Crime

Emma Jilavian
PR Newswire
Oct 29 2019

– Armenian National Committee of America Supported Bipartisan Measure (H.Res.296) Integral to Establishing Principled U.S. Policy on the Armenian Genocide

News provided by

Armenian National Committee of America

Oct 29, 2019, 17:38 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — In a major blow to Ankara's obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide, the U.S. House today voted overwhelmingly to pass H.Res.296, an Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) backed measure locking in ongoing U.S. recognition of this crime and officially rejecting Turkey's denial of the genocide it committed against Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Maronites and other Christian nations. The Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.296) was adopted by a vote of 405 to 11.

Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian stated, "The ANCA welcomes the U.S. House of Representatives vote overriding the longest-lasting foreign veto in American history – Ankara's gag-rule against honest American remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. We must now move forcefully toward a truthful, just and comprehensive resolution of Turkey's crime against humanity that killed over 1.5 million innocent Armenians."

Hamparian continued, "While much can be said of today's vote – this is crystal clear. First, this vote exposed – in powerful ways – Ankara's attempts to enlist America in its obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide. Second, this vote places America on the side of justice, which has, for far too long, been denied to the victims and surviving generations of the Armenian Genocide."

The Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.296) establishes, as a matter of U.S. policy, 1) the rejection of Armenian Genocide denial, 2) ongoing official U.S. government recognition and remembrance of this crime, and 3) support for education about the Armenian Genocide in order to help prevent modern-day atrocities.  Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) led the House effort, while Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) are spearheading the Senate measure (S.Res.150). 

The ANCA has consistently pushed back against Turkey's denials, striving to put America on the right side of the Armenian Genocide. Thousands of letters and phone calls have already been sent to Congress by Armenian American advocates through the ANCA online portal – anca.org/genocide.

For more information on the Armenian Genocide: www.anca.org/endthegagrule.

SOURCE Armenian National Committee of America

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/anca-us-house-votes-overwhelmingly-to-lock-in-armenian-genocide-recognition-rejecting-turkeys-denial-of-this-crime-300947655.html





US House recognises ‘Armenian genocide’ in rebuke to Turkey

Emma Nadirian
Middle East Eye
Oct 29 2019
Bill marks the first time US Congress describes the killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War I as a genocide
Armenian officials attend commemoration of 104th anniversary of the killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces in 1915, at Tsitsernakaberd memorial in country's capital, Yerevan, 24 April (AFP/File photo)
By

MEE staff

The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a resolution recognising the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians in the First World War as a "genocide".

In a 405 to 11 vote on Tuesday, legislators passed a resolution titled "Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide".

The bill marks the first time either chamber of Congress has described the killings of Armenians as a genocide.

"Today let us clearly state the facts on the floor of this House, to be etched to the congressional record: The barbarism committed against the Armenian people was a genocide," said Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ahead of the vote.

Turkey denounced the passage of the resolution calling it "devoid of any historical or legal basis".

"The resolution itself is also not legally binding. As a meaningless political step, its sole addressees are the Armenian lobby and anti-Turkey groups," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday.

The resolution states that "the United States has a proud history of recognising and condemning the Armenian Genocide, the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923".

The country has also provided "relief to the survivors of the campaign of genocide against Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites, and other Christians", the bill reads.

'Today let us clearly state the facts on the floor of this House, to be etched to the congressional record: The barbarism committed against the Armenian people was a genocide'

– Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Similar measures have failed in the past – most recently in 2010 when then-President Barack Obama urged lawmakers to drop a resolution that would have recognised the killings as a genocide.

Successive US presidents have refrained from using the term "genocide" in reference to Ottoman massacres of Armenians to preserve Washington's alliance with Ankara.

While Turkey acknowledges that Ottoman forces killed Armenians in battles during World War I, it rejects the number of victims often cited by historians.

Ankara says the killings were not part of an organised campaign and do not amount to genocide, and it has previously condemned countries that recognised the killings as a genocide.

The Turkish embassy in Washington did not respond to MEE's request for comment on Tuesday.

But as several US representatives spoke in favour of the historic bill, the focus often shifted to a more recent conflict: Turkey's incursion in northern Syria.

"Turkey's current action in northern Syria against our Kurdish allies is extremely concerning, and … we cannot stand by and let egregious human rights violations happen," Republican Congressman Gus Bilirakis said on the House floor before the vote.

Russia informs Turkey that Kurdish fighters have left Turkish border zone in Syria

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Indeed, the resolution comes amid growing anger in the US against Turkey, which launched an assault against the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) earlier this month.

In fact, lawmakers followed the vote on the Armenian genocide on Tuesday by passing a bill that would impose sanctions in Turkey over the offensive in Syria.

The sanctions measure, which would include a visa ban on Turkey's defence minister if it becomes law, passed in a 403-16 vote.

In its statement on Tuesday, the Turkish foreign ministry suggested that the House measure on the Armenian genocide is aimed at Turkey's military offensive in Syria.

"Those who felt defeated for not being able to forestall Operation Peace Spring would be highly mistaken [if] they thought that they could take vengeance this way," it said.

The operation began after after Donald Trump withdrew American troops from northern Syria.

The pullout prompted a backlash against the White House, with Democratic and Republican lawmakers accusing the US president of betraying the country's Kurdish allies.

The Kurds played a major role in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

The US brokered a ceasefire agreement on 17 October that led Trump to lift the economic sanctions that his administration imposed on Turkey over the offensive.

However, members of Congress have said they intend to continue to push for measures to punish the Turkish government for its incursion in northern Syria.

On Tuesday, Turkey said the passage of the sanctions proposal in the House of Representatives violates the ceasefire agreement, which stipulated that Washington would lift sanctions on Ankara after the fighting is halted.