Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

ANKARA: Turkish Minister Cancels US Trip Following House Panel Vote

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ANKARA: Turkish Minister Cancels US Trip Following House Panel Vote

    TURKISH MINISTER CANCELS US TRIP FOLLOWING HOUSE PANEL VOTE

    Hurriyet
    March 9 2010
    Turkey

    Turkey's trade minister has canceled a trip to the United States
    in response to a U.S. House panel vote last week that recommended
    labeling the World War I-era killings of Armenians as genocide.

    Zafer Caglayan was scheduled to depart for the U.S. on March 19
    with a large business delegation, the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic
    Review has learned. The governmental decision was made Monday during
    consultations with the country's ambassador to Washington, who had
    earlier been recalled in a show of protest.

    Ambassador Namık Tan attended a coordination meeting at the Turkish
    Foreign Ministry on Monday and met Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu,
    diplomatic sources told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

    Although Davutoglu said the consultations will continue for the next
    few days, it is unclear when the ambassador will return to Washington.

    Speaking to reporters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Recep
    Tayyip Erdogan said: "As long as the situation does not get any
    clearer, we will not send our ambassador back to Washington. America
    should not let go of a strategic ally like Turkey over such an issue,"
    he said, describing the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs'
    decision as "a comedy stunt."

    Erdogan blamed the vote on a combination of "unbecoming" voting
    procedures in the U.S. Congress and a change of attitude by the
    "Jewish lobby" to back the resolution.

    "The Jewish lobby in the U.S. supported this resolution," he said,
    adding that it represented "an attitude change" by Israel's supporters
    in contrast to the past.
Working...
X