Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Armenia Celebrates Adoption of U.S. "Genocide" Bill
by Agence France Presse
Posted: Thursday, October 05, 2000 01:29 am CST

YEREVAN, Oct 4, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Armenia hailed on Wednesday the passage by a U.S. Congressional committee of a bill recognizing the killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as "genocide," and urged restraint from Turkey in reacting to the move.

Armenia congratulated the House International Relations Committee for passing the resolution Tuesday recognizing the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 to 1917 as genocide, said Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian.

The committee's adoption of the bill provoked a furious reaction from Turkey -- the successor state to the Ottoman Empire -- which warned the move would seriously harm the friendly ties between Washington and Ankara and further damage Ankara's already chilly relations with neighboring Armenia .

In its first retaliatory move against Washington, Turkey on Wednesday postponed a planned U.S. visit by its army chief.

"We hope that Turkey will not react in an unsuitable manner," Oskanian said. "Our relations are already severely strained and any further tension could have dangerous repercussions."

"I urge Turkey to finally broach cooperation between our peoples," the minister added.

Turkey acknowledges the killings of many Armenians but categorically rejects claims it amounted to genocide, saying that thousands of Turks also died in what was internal fighting during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

Armenia maintains that up to 1.3 million of its people were massacred, while Turkey puts the figure at around 300,000. ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse)

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