Pro-Turkey US congressman dies
A US Democratic Congressman known for his support of
Turkey died at the age of 77 on Monday.
John Murtha representing Pennsylvania, who chaired the House of Representatives defense appropriations subcommittee, is remembered for having opposed a bill on the alleged World War I-era genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
Murtha earlier had a gallbladder surgery and underwent treatment due to complications.
The lawmaker wielded enormous clout on defense issues in Democratic-majority Congress, making decisions affecting billions of dollars in Pentagon spending.
He was the first Vietnam War veteran elected to the House who served there since 1974.
Though Murtha initially supported sending troops to Iraq, he later severely criticized the previous US administration’s handling of the war.
After the bill on the alleged genocide of Armenians was put on the agenda of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2007, Murtha held a news conference with four other Democratic Congressmen and called on the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to table the issue at the general assembly.
In his letters to Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Armenia’s Serzh Sarkisian, Murtha voiced support for efforts aiming to foster a rapprochement between the two estranged countries.
The dispute over the 1915 developments in Ottoman Turkey that Armenians claim amounted to genocide has been one of the seeds of discord between Turkey, Azerbaijan’s ally, and Armenia. The Armenian and Turkish governments signed two protocols to establish diplomatic relations and reopen the two countries’ shared border on October 10, 2009, in a bid to normalize ties. The documents also envision setting up a commission of historians to research the Ottoman Turkey events.*
John Murtha representing Pennsylvania, who chaired the House of Representatives defense appropriations subcommittee, is remembered for having opposed a bill on the alleged World War I-era genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
Murtha earlier had a gallbladder surgery and underwent treatment due to complications.
The lawmaker wielded enormous clout on defense issues in Democratic-majority Congress, making decisions affecting billions of dollars in Pentagon spending.
He was the first Vietnam War veteran elected to the House who served there since 1974.
Though Murtha initially supported sending troops to Iraq, he later severely criticized the previous US administration’s handling of the war.
After the bill on the alleged genocide of Armenians was put on the agenda of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2007, Murtha held a news conference with four other Democratic Congressmen and called on the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to table the issue at the general assembly.
In his letters to Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Armenia’s Serzh Sarkisian, Murtha voiced support for efforts aiming to foster a rapprochement between the two estranged countries.
The dispute over the 1915 developments in Ottoman Turkey that Armenians claim amounted to genocide has been one of the seeds of discord between Turkey, Azerbaijan’s ally, and Armenia. The Armenian and Turkish governments signed two protocols to establish diplomatic relations and reopen the two countries’ shared border on October 10, 2009, in a bid to normalize ties. The documents also envision setting up a commission of historians to research the Ottoman Turkey events.*
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