CHP leader backs Ankara’s move on US House resolution

ANKARA

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has criticized the U.S. House of Representatives’ recent resolution on the events of 1915 and a sanctions bill, saying doing such things out of “vengeance” is wrong.

“Now a bill on the so-called Armenian genocide is on the agenda. Every country has bitter events in its past. But history concerns historians, not politicians. If you bring up past historic events today and turn this into avenging, it will not be right,” Kılıçdaroğlu said on Oct. 30.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s remarks came during a speech at the parliamentary group meeting of CHP in the capital Ankara.

The CHP leader also suggested that Turkish and Armenian historians should gather and discuss the events of 1915 for assessment.

“Let us all get together and look into archives. But if you take this, too, saying, ‘I am the hegemon power, I will take revenge,’ it will not be right,” he said.

“We never accept or approve this,” he added.

Turkey is facing “a serious dead end,” according to Kılıçdaroğlu.

“We have no problem with the American public, but we do not approve of the approach politicians have embodied in the House of Representatives,” he said.

Kılıçdaroğlu also underlined that if such a bill passes the Senate, Turkish-American relations will tie itself up in knots.

“No embargo to be imposed on Turkey would yield results,” the CHP head said.

“The embargo will be rejected by everyone. We had rejected it when it was imposed after the Cyprus Peace Operation,” he said.

Kılıçdaroğlu was referring to the U.S. embargo imposed after Ankara intervened in Cyprus following its annexation by Greece.

Turkey earlier on Oct. 30 summoned the U.S. ambassador in Ankara after the House of Representatives -- Congress’ lower house -- passed a resolution to recognize the so-called “Armenian genocide.”

U.S. lawmakers also passed a bill seeking to impose sanctions on Turkey over its Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria, an operation meant to clear the region of terrorist elements and pave the way for Syrian refugees in Turkey to resettle there.