Turkey 'extremely concerned' over growing congressional support to Armenian Genocide ResolutionJune 22, 2007 - 16:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Top Turkish officials, including Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul have lobbied against the Armenian Genocide Resolution passage in visits to the U.S. capital since February, Gul has warned that the resolution's approval in Congress could hurt Turkish-U.S. ties beyond repair, including a disruption of security arrangements.So far House leaders, including backers of the bill, have declined to actively push for the resolution's passage before the Turkish elections, but any time starting September will be ripe for this effort. Turkish officials and their lobbyists here are now working to prevent other lawmakers from backing the genocide bill and urging some House members to withdraw their signatures from the list of supporters. But so far such efforts could not stop the Armenians reaching the 200 figure, the Turkish Daily News reports. A similar resolution is also pending in the Senate, Congress' upper chamber, with 31 senators out of a total of 100 backing the measure. But still Armenian efforts focus on moving on the House front first. Before last year's congressional elections in which the Democrats won a landslide victory, Pelosi had pledged to work for the passage of the genocide measure. But after the elections, she has adopted a responsible position, Turkish diplomats said. Meanwhile, the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.106, continues to gain momentum toward passage with the total number of Members cosponsoring the human rights measure reaching 202. "This overwhelming support for the resolution is evidence that Members of Congress and their constituents believe that recognizing the Armenian Genocide, which claimed more than a million and a half lives, is a moral imperative," stated resolution lead sponsor Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA). Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |