Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey, a key Muslim ally of the US, would assess what measures it would take, adding that the issue was a matter of “honor” for his country.
A US congressional committee approved the measure Thursday. The 23-22 vote sends the measure to the full House of Representatives, where prospects for passage are uncertain. Minutes after the vote, Turkey withdrew its ambassador to the US.
A Democratic leadership aide said Friday there are no plans at this point to schedule a full House of Representatives vote on the resolution. Advocates of the resolution will have to show the chamber's Democratic leaders that they have the votes for passage before the measure will be brought to the House floor, said another Democratic aide. Both spoke to Reuters on condition that they not be named.
Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed around the time of World War I. Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.
President Barack Obama's administration had been silent about the resolution until shortly before the vote when it said it opposed its passage. Turkey wants stronger action to block the resolution.
“The picture shows that the US administration did not put enough weight behind the issue,” Davutoglu told reporters. “We are seriously disturbed by the result. We expect the US administration to, as of now, display more effective efforts. Otherwise the picture ahead will not be a positive one,” he added.
Davutoglu complained of a lack of “strategic vision” in Washington.
The measure was approved at a time when Washington is expected to press Turkey to back sanctions against Iran to be approved in the UN Security Council, where Turkey currently holds a seat. Turkish cooperation also is important to US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also at stake are defense contracts. Turkey is an important market for US defense companies, many of which had lobbied against the measure.
“We have had good cooperation with the US administration at all levels,” Davutoglu said. “We would expect our contributions not to be sacrificed to domestic political games.”
Davutoglu said the US ambassador had been called to the Foreign Ministry for talks. The ambassador, James Jeffrey, told reporters the Obama administration was opposed to the measure being voted in the full House.
The foreign minister said Turkey was determined to press ahead with efforts to normalize ties with Armenia, but said Turkey would not be “pressured” into taking any decisions. He added that the vote had put the ratification of agreements to normalize ties with Armenia at risk.
