Obama issued warning to Erdogan – report
US President Barack Obama reportedly warned during his talks with
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on
Monday that if Turkey’s parliament does not ratify the agreement on
normalizing relations signed with Armenia in October, US Congress
may recognize the alleged World War I-era genocide of
Armenians.
Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper claimed that President Obama diplomatically pointed to the fact that the day considered by Armenians to be the date marking the alleged mass killings in the Ottoman Empire – April 24 – is approaching. He said that if the protocols do not pass in the Turkish legislature, it will be challenging to counter the adoption of the bill on "genocide" in Congress, which has been tabled there several times but blocked at the last minute.
Erdogan, in turn, said the decision on the protocols will be passed by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. He said that, if the documents are put on discussion in parliament in the current shape, they will not be approved, as many Turkish lawmakers would disagree with enforcing them prior to a settlement of the long-standing conflict that Azerbaijan, Ankara’s ally, faces with Armenia.
"Avail of your influence over both Armenia and other parties involved in the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict. If the conflict is resolved, we will be able to ratify the protocols on opening the borders with Armenia in a very short time," Erdogan told Obama, according to the newspaper.
Turkey and Armenia face decades of enmity. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 due to Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory and genocide claims. In an effort to normalize strained ties, the two governments signed protocols to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders in Zurich on October 10. However, Ankara has made clear that it could normalize ties with Yerevan only after the Garabagh conflict has been fairly resolved.*
Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper claimed that President Obama diplomatically pointed to the fact that the day considered by Armenians to be the date marking the alleged mass killings in the Ottoman Empire – April 24 – is approaching. He said that if the protocols do not pass in the Turkish legislature, it will be challenging to counter the adoption of the bill on "genocide" in Congress, which has been tabled there several times but blocked at the last minute.
Erdogan, in turn, said the decision on the protocols will be passed by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. He said that, if the documents are put on discussion in parliament in the current shape, they will not be approved, as many Turkish lawmakers would disagree with enforcing them prior to a settlement of the long-standing conflict that Azerbaijan, Ankara’s ally, faces with Armenia.
"Avail of your influence over both Armenia and other parties involved in the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict. If the conflict is resolved, we will be able to ratify the protocols on opening the borders with Armenia in a very short time," Erdogan told Obama, according to the newspaper.
Turkey and Armenia face decades of enmity. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 due to Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory and genocide claims. In an effort to normalize strained ties, the two governments signed protocols to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders in Zurich on October 10. However, Ankara has made clear that it could normalize ties with Yerevan only after the Garabagh conflict has been fairly resolved.*
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