TOP TURKISH OFFICIAL BEGINS TALKS ON ARMENIA DURING US VISIT
Hurriyet
Feb 15 2010
Turkey
The undersecretary for the Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry started
his visit to Washington on Monday with a series of talks with U.S.
officials, focusing on a recent dispute in the Turkish-Armenian
normalization process.
As part of his working visit to the U.S. capital, Undersecretary
Feridun Siniroglu was expected to participate in talks on
Turkish-American relations as well as bilateral and international
issues at the U.S. State Department and National Security Council.
Energy issues and the latest developments in the Balkans and Caucasus
would also be on the agenda of the Turkish diplomat’s meetings,
officials said. Sinirlioglu’s visit took place under the shadow of
the pending resolution on Armenian genocide claims in a committee of
the U.S. House of Representatives.
Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, said last week he intended to call a committee vote March 4,
on the non-binding resolution urging President Barack Obama to describe
the 1915 killings during the late days of Ottoman Empire as "genocide."
Court’s ruling
The court’s ruling that the interpretation and application of the
protocols signed between the two countries to normalize relations
should be in compliance with the Armenian constitution is a cause of
concern for Turkey, as the Turkish government argues that the court has
impaired the spirit of the agreements. The Turkish government insists
that the decision prevents the discussion of Armenian genocide claims
by a committee of historians that will be established according to
the articles of the protocols.
Sinirlioglu was expected to seek assurances from the U.S.
administration that the court’s ruling will not legally prevent the
discussion of Armenian claims of "genocide." Within the scope of his
visit, Siniroglu is scheduled to meet with Special Envoy of the U.S.
Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar, Deputy
Secretary of State Jim Steinberg, Assistant Secretary for Bureau of
European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon and National Security
Council’s Senior Director for Europe Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. He
is expected to depart from Washington on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Namik Tan, Turkey’s new ambassador in the U.S. capital,
also arrived in Washington together with Siniroglu. Tan, who replaced
Nabi Å~^ensoy, is expected to officially take office upon presenting
his letter of credentials.