Turkish politicians head to Washington over worries about Armenian resolution

ANKARA

Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek. AA Photo

Worried about a draft resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives that recognizes the 1915 killings of Ottoman Armenians as genocide, a group of Turkish politicians have set out for Washington to ensure that the resolution does not pass.

Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek arrived in Washington and is expected to meet his counterpart at the House of Representatives on March 25.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will also visit Washington before April 24, the traditional international commemoration day of the tragedy. Ankara and Washington have agreed on the visit, but are still working on a suitable date in April, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said.

The draft resolution is backed by congressmen such as Illinois Republican representative Robert Dold, California Democratic representatives David Paladao and Adam Schiff, and New Jersey Democratic representative Frank Pallone.

The draft resolution, which calls on the U.S. president to recognize the 1915 killings as a genocide, will initially be discussed and voted on at the Foreign Relations Committee, and can be brought to the House on the initiative of Speaker John Boehner.

Forty-six members of congress currently support the draft resolution.

In the past, similar resolutions have been passed by the Foreign Affairs Committee, but the speaker has prevented a vote from being held on the House floor.