ArmInfo. The adoption of the resolution on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US House of Representatives ihasnot legal, but political significance. This was stated by Head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau's "Hay Dat" and Political Affairs office, Giro Manoyan at a press conference on October 30.
He noted that only the White House is authorized to choose the domestic political course, which means that neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate can directly influence the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States. <Cynics will say that, in this case, the decision of the House of Representatives is meaningless, but this is not so. The adoption of this resolution has not legal, but political significance, and can be taken into account when discussing other issues related, for example, to Artsakh>, Manoyan emphasized.
On the one hand, it cannot be denied that the resolution was adopted in the current tense relations between the US and Turkey on the Syrian issue. However, as the politician noted, the two-hour discussions in the House of Representatives, and the participation of over 400 lawmakers in them, show a demonstration of US political power and influence. In addition, one cannot but take into account the fact that in recent years the issue of the Armenian Genocide is reflected in leading American publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
Manoyan noted that the Turkish lobby in the USA, until the very last, hoped to turn the tide and fail the adoption of the resolution on recognition of the Armenian Genocide. "However, in the current tensions between the two countries, lobbyists, I think, realized that their efforts would be futile," he said.
Yesterday, the US House of Representatives adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide by 405 votes in favor, 11 against with three abstentions. Congressmen acknowledge that the accelerated consideration of the resolution was caused by a crisis in relations with Ankara due to the Turkish operation in northern Syria. According to the BBC, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the decision of the American congressmen an attempt to "use history to achieve political goals." Official Ankara is expected to respond to recognition of the genocide by recalling its Ambassador from Washington, who previously called the text of the document full of baseless accusations.
Mass deportations and killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 were recognized as genocide in Russia, Germany, France, Canada and several other countries of the world. However, Turkey invariably protests against this interpretation, and after it the US government previously avoided calling these events genocide. Similar resolutions have been considered in Congress for a long time, but have never before been voted on by the House of Representatives. US President Donald Trump, like his predecessor Barack Obama, avoids the use of the word "genocide" in official speeches in relation to the events of 1915