4:44 p.m. ET, November 13, 2019
Erdogan says House resolution recognizing Armenian genocide casts "a deep shadow" over US-Turkish relations
From CNN's Maegan Vazquez
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed a
recent House resolution acknowledging the Armenian genocide, suggesting that the legislation was bolstered by individuals sympathetic to the Kurdish forces who Turks regard as terrorists.
“Some circles who are empathetic towards these terrorist organizations are feeling deeply upset. They are deeply disturbed, and they are using this disinformation in order to cloud the understanding of the public opinion … with the eventual gain or goal of harming our relations,” Erdogan said through a translator at a White House news conference today. “And some historical developments and allegations are being used in order to dynamite our reciprocal and bilateral relations, especially in the House of Representatives, some of the resolutions that were passed on October 29th served this every purpose, hurt deeply the Turkish nation and they have a potential of casting a deep shadow over our bilateral relations, and I shared this information with [Trump]."
Some background on the resolution: In late October, the House passed a resolution recognizing the genocide of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians during World War I, a move the Turkish government has long opposed.
The bill, led by California Democrat Adam Schiff, passed on a vote of 405-11.
“The decision makers in an incident that took place about 104 years ago should not be politicians, but historians. We have nothing to hide and we have a full self esteem in that regard," Erdogan said.
He continued: “But I need to state very clearly that we are as Turkey on the side of dialogue and open discussion and debate. And we have voiced our proposals to the Armenian party to open the archives reciprocally and establish a history commission. I believe the Senate will take the United States out of this vicious cycle, which happened as a result of the resolution of the House of Representatives.”