Hillary Clinton to meet with Armenian

Tuesday, 12 January 2010 07:12

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to meet with representatives of the Armenian organizations active in the country in February, according to the Armenian Assembly of America.
Turkey-Armenia relations, which have been strained for decades, will be reportedly discussed. The Assembly representatives have requested a meeting with Clinton to mull the agreement on normalizing ties signed by Ankara and Yerevan in the fall of 2009.
The two neighbors have been at odds and their shared border has been shut since 1993 due to Armenia’s policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Armenian claims on mass killings of their ancestors by Ottoman Turks during World War I. On October 10, 2009, in Zurich, the two governments signed agreements to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders. However, the documents require ratification in both countries’ parliaments before taking effect.
Brian Ardouny, the Assembly’s executive director, claimed that, given Ankara’s dismissing the allegations on the so-called genocide of Armenians, the Armenian lobby in the U.S. should redouble efforts to achieve Washington’s recognizing the alleged genocide and secure passage of a relevant bill in US Congress.
Ardouny alleged that the Armenian president has taken pivotal steps but Ankara “continues impeding a normalization of relations.”
“A meeting with the secretary of state is a great opportunity to discuss the US administration’s exerting pressure on Turkey,” he maintained.
Armenians claim Ottoman Turks killed 1.5 million people in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. Armenians residing in the Anatolia region started riots in 1890, which intensified during the war, and fought against the Ottoman army in support of Russia. In an effort to end stand-off, the Ottoman government decided in 1915 to resettle the Armenians to other parts of the country. Armenians claim their forefathers were subjected to “genocide” in the process. Ankara dismisses the claims and has offered to research the events through a joint commission of historians. The proposal is said to have been reflected in the protocols on mending ties.