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Turkey Shouldn't Neglect Azerbaijan's Interests, US Diplomat Says

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  • Turkey Shouldn't Neglect Azerbaijan's Interests, US Diplomat Says

    TURKEY SHOULDN'T NEGLECT AZERBAIJAN'S INTERESTS, US DIPLOMAT SAYS

    PanARMENIAN.Net
    01.02.2010 11:48 GMT+04:00

    /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Chairman of
    American Turkish Council's (ATC) Board of Directors, Richard Armitage
    stated that Turkey should not neglect Azerbaijani interests in the
    process of normalization of relations with Armenia.

    Commenting on the ongoing Turkey-Armenia dialogue to VOA News,
    Armitage said that the U.S. administration supports this initiative.

    "I am not sure whether Turkish Parliament will ratify Zurich protocols
    or not, but the initiative towards normalization of relations with
    Armenia cannot be underestimated. On the other hand, Turkey should not
    damage Azerbaijan's interests. I know that our Azerbaijani friends
    get surprised at the speed of the process. Besides, they are not
    being well informed on this issue. The ties with Azerbaijan should
    be repaired," he said.

    As to adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution in the
    U.S. Congress, Armitage said, "Yes, I am concerned about that a
    bit. The Armenian Diaspora is strong, especially in California. This
    is a political reality in United States. I have worries about the
    probability of revival of the genocide resolution. But I hope the
    Armenian Diaspora will be farsighted and will show an appropriate
    attitude, realizing how difficult the mission of Turkish government
    is."

    The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic
    destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during
    and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres, and
    deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to
    lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths
    reaching 1.5 million.

    The date of the onset of the genocide is conventionally held to be
    April 24, 1915, the day that Ottoman authorities arrested some 250
    Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople.

    Thereafter, the Ottoman military uprooted Armenians from their homes
    and forced them to march for hundreds of miles, depriving them of
    food and water, to the desert of what is now Syria.

    To date, twenty countries and 44 U.S. states have officially recognized
    the events of the period as genocide, and most genocide scholars
    and historians accept this view. The Armenian Genocide has been also
    recognized by influential media including The New York Times, BBC,
    The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

    The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the
    Genocide survivors.

    The Armenian Genocide resolution (H.Res. 106) was submitted to the
    House of Representatives by Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), on
    January 30, 2007, during the 110th United States Congress. It was
    a non-binding resolution calling upon the US President to ensure
    that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate
    understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human
    rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States
    record relating to the Armenian Genocide, and for other purposes. Upon
    its introduction it was referred to United States House Committee
    on Foreign Affairs where it passed a 27-21 vote and was sent back
    for a full house vote. On October 26, 2007, in a letter addressed
    to the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, four key sponsors of the bill,
    requested a debate on the bill in full House to be postponed.

    In 2009, another congressional resolution affirming the U.S. record
    on the Armenian Genocide (H.Res.252) was been formally introduced
    in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Adam Schiff (D.-CA),
    George Radanovich (R.-CA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D.-NJ), and Mark Kirk
    (R.-Ill). It currently has 134 co-sponsors.
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