Azernews.Az

WASHINGTON, D.C. – US Ambassador-Designate to Turkey Francis Ricciardone has avoided calling the 1915 events in Ottoman Turkey as "genocide".
"Together, the Turkish and Armenian people will be stronger as they acknowledge their common history and recognize their common humanity," Ricciardone said on testimony of his nomination at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Panel on Tuesday, according to Azerbaijan's APA news agency.
Rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia will foster increased stability and prosperity in the entire Caucasus region, he said.
During the testimony Senator Robert Menendez asked how Turkey should be navigated on its policy concerning 1915 events and normalization process with Armenia, as well as the Cyprus problem. The new ambassador-to-be called the events of 1915 "massacre".
"We commended the governments of Turkey and Armenia on their signing of the historic protocols on normalization of relations on October 10, 2009 in Zurich. Both countries publicly reiterated their commitment to normalization this spring. The United States will continue to urge Turkey to ratify the protocols, and we will support programs that build understanding between Turks and Armenians," he said.
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". The Zurich protocols aim to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders. However, the accords require approval by both countries’ parliaments. Ankara and Yerevan have accused each other of dragging their feet. This April, Yerevan suspended the parliamentary approval of the deals.
Ricciardone assured that, Cyprus, normalization process with Armenia, Iran, Israel, Iraq and Afghanistan issues will be main agenda during his serve in Ankara.
Speaking about regional developments, Ricciardone pointed out that, the U.S. welcomes the June 7 agreement signed by Turkey and Azerbaijan on the gas purchase and transit of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey.
"This agreement is an important milestone in laying the foundation for the Southern Corridor. This corridor could include the Nabucco pipeline, the Turkey-Greece-Italy Interconnector (ITGI), or the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Turkey would play an integral transit role in all three pipelines. The corridor would provide commercial benefit for the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia and also create a long-term partnership based on mutual interests with Europe. Overseeing the safe passage of oil through the Bosporus Straits and the transport of oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which pumps nearly a million barrels of oil a day to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, Turkey plays an important role in world energy markets," he said.
Ricciardone also reminded that, building on US-Turkey close cooperation in the 1990s that helped make the BTC a reality, the U.S. and Turkey are working together to bring Caspian gas to European markets for the first time through a new route called the "Southern Corridor."
US Senator Richard Lugar, co-chair of Committee, mentioned that Turkey remains a vital partner for the United States, despite several recent disagreements.
"Our next ambassador must continue to develop opportunities to reinvigorate the U.S.-Turkish alliance. One such opportunity concerns energy security and the development of the Nabucco pipeline as a southern energy corridor to Europe. Completion of the Nabucco project will directly connect nations of the Caspian region, the Caucasus and Europe, bringing energy diversification that will benefit supply, transit, and consumer countries alike", Lugar said.
In his statement before the panel Chairman of the Committee John Kerry also expressed his hope that the Senate can confirm Ricciardone’s nomination in the weeks ahead.