US Senate passes Armenian genocide resolution

Duvar English

The U.S. Senate on Dec. 12 unanimously passed a resolution that recognizes as a genocide the mass killings of Armenians a century ago, a move likely to infuriate Turkey and further strain ties between Ankara and Washington.

Turkey condemned the measure, saying it will not help improve relations with the United States. The two NATO allies are already at loggerheads over several issues, including Ankara's purchase of Russian missile defense systems and policy over Syria.

The resolution asserts that it is U.S. policy to commemorate as genocide the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during the World War I. The Ottoman Empire was centered in present-day Turkey.

“It is the policy of the U.S to commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance,” says the resolution.

The resolution also rejects attempts to "enlist, engage, or otherwise associate" the U.S. government with denial of genocide.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart. They say the mass killings amounted to "genocide."

Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and denies that the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute a genocide.

Under the Senate's rules any senator can ask to pass a resolution. As long as another senator doesn't object, the measure will clear the chamber.

The move comes after three Republican senators previously blocked passage of the resolution amid pressure from the White House, which argued that it would undercut negotiations between Washington and Ankara.

In mid-November during his visit in Washington, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his call for historians to investigate the issue.

"If the U.S. side really wants to act fairly, it should refrain from taking a political stand on a matter that historians should decide," said Erdoğan.

US Senate's move 'is not legally binding, has no validity'

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu lashed out at the U.S. Senate late on Dec. 12, saying that its action is “just a political show.” “It [U.S. resolution] is not legally binding and does not have validity. Those who use the history for political purposes are cowards who do not want to face the realities,” Çavuşoğlu wrote on his Twitter account.

İbrahim Kalın, Turkey's presidential spokesperson, also lashed out at the fresh U.S. resolution. “This null and void decision will not affect Turkey’s righteous and resolute stance on political, military or economic areas,” Kalın said on Twitter.

'US Senate's move endangers the future of Turkey-US relationship'

Turkish Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has also shared a series of tweets saying that the U.S. Senate's move “endangers the future of” Turkey-U.S. ties.

“The behavior of some members of the U.S. Congress is damaging the Turkish-American ties. The sanctions bill that passed yesterday in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Armenian resolution that passed today in the Senate endanger the future of our bilateral relationship,” Altun wrote, referring to the Armenian resolution as well as a sanctions bill targeting Turkey over its offensive in Syria and its purchase of a Russian missile defense system.

On Dec. 11, the Republican-led Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted by 18-4 to send the “Promoting American National Security and Preventing the Resurgence of ISIS Act of 2019” for a vote in the full Senate.

“The resolutions will not bring any good to the relations between Turkey and the US. As we stated previously we expect our Armenian brothers to stand up and prevent the US Congress to destroy any attempt to reconcile our differences through scientific and academic channels.”

“Historywill note these resolutions as irresponsible and irrational actionsby some members of the US Congress against Turkey. They will go downin history as the responsible party for causing a long lasting damagebetween two nations,” Altun further said.