Azernews.Az

ANKARA – Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Turkey’s normalizing its strained relations with Armenia depends on progress in settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.

Davutoglu told the local TRT-1 TV channel that Ankara is seeking to establish long-term relations with Yerevan, but this requires achieving progress in the resolution of conflicts flaring in the turbulent region.

Turkey and Armenia have been at odds for decades and their shared border has been shut since 1993 due to Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Armenian claims on World War I-era "genocide". In October 2009, the two governments signed agreements to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders. However, Turkish officials have repeatedly assured Azerbaijan, Turkey’s ally, that the protocols will not pass in the country’s parliament until progress is made in resolving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In response, Yerevan suspended ratification of the deals this April.

Regarding recent discussions on the alleged Ottoman-era genocide of Armenians in US Congress, Davutoglu said "blackmailing" Turkey was unacceptable.

"Those who raised the issue in Congress have no idea about the 1915 developments," he said, adding that such moves by US lawmakers are exacerbating tension between Turkey and Armenia.

Last week US congressmen decided to adjourn for winter recess without voting on a proposed "genocide" bill, though its backers had sought to achieve its adoption until the last day of congressional sessions. Analysts say passage of the draft law is unlikely at the next congressional session either as the incoming House of Representatives speaker John Boehner opposes the bill unlike his predecessor Nancy Pelosi.

The US government is opposed to a vote on the alleged genocide.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the bill this March.

Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their ancestors were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I. Turkey denies the allegations.