Ankara Summons US Ambassador Over Senate's Decision to Pass Armenian Genocide Resolution

12:58 GMT, 13 December 2019

The day before, the Senate joined the House of Representatives in passing a resolution to officially recognise the Armenian genocide, which for years has been a divisive issue in the US politics.

Sputnik

The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned on Friday US Ambassador to the country over the US Senate's latest decision to recognise the Armenian genocide.

On Thursday, the Senate joined the House of Representatives in passing a resolution to officially recognise the Armenian genocide, which for years has been a divisive issue in the US politics. The lower house voted for the piece of legislation in late October in response to Turkey’s controversial offensive against Kurdish militia in northeastern Syria.

Ankara Summons US Envoy Over Congressional Vote on Sanctions and Armenian Genocide - Reports

30 October 2019, 07:18 GMT

In the late 19th-early 20th centuries, Armenians found themselves an increasingly persecuted minority within the ailing Ottoman Empire. In 1915, according to a number of historians, more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed. The fact of the Armenian people's genocide in the Ottoman Empire has been recognized by over 30 countries.

The issue traditionally causes a strong backlash from Turkey, which keeps rejecting the accusations. Republican senators had previously blocked the resolution several times at the request of the White House, which has been seeking to avert further deterioration of ties with the NATO ally.