ISTANBUL (Reuters) — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has assured Turkey the White House opposes a congressional resolution labeling the World War I massacres of Armenians in Turkey as genocide, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Monday.
The ministry issued the statement after a telephone call between Clinton and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Sunday.
The United States is keen to smooth over relations with Turkey, NATO’s only Muslim member, and a key ally in trouble spots from Afghanistan to the Middle East.
Turkey recalled its ambassador in Washington after a US House of Representatives committee approved a non-binding resolution on March 4 calling on President Barack Obama to refer to the killings of as many as 1.5 million Armenians almost a century ago as genocide.
The full House of Representatives is due to consider the resolution, although it is unclear whether it would go to a vote or has enough support to pass.
“Secretary Clinton emphasized that the US administration opposes both the decision accepted by the committee and the decision reaching the general assembly,” the statement said.