Much to Turkey’s ire, House panel backs Armenian genocide resolution

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A congressional panel has approved a resolution declaring the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I was genocide.

In Turkey, the government said it was recalling its ambassador from Washington in response.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed the resolution with a 23-22 vote on Thursday, even though the Obama administration had urged Congress not to offend Turkey by approving it.

The resolution now goes to the full House, where prospects for passage are uncertain.

Turkey, a NATO ally with a crucial role for U.S. interests in the Middle East and Afghanistan, has warned that the resolution’s approval could jeopardize U.S-Turkish cooperation and set back negotiations aimed at opening the border between Turkey and Armenia.

--Associated Press

Armenian American groups have for decades sought congressional affirmation of the killings as genocide.