One of the reasons why the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has passed an Armenian Genocide resolution is spoiled relations between Turkey and the United States, the head of Hay Dat Office Kiro Manoyan said in an interview to ArmInfo.
He believes that one of the factors that pushed the commissioners to pass the resolution was Turkey's stubborn policy on some key regional issues. Still Manoyan does not think that the US authorities are trying to punish the Turks – for unlike the senator, the Obama administration was against the resolution.
One more factor is the active efforts of the Armenian Diaspora and the Hay Dat Committee of the United States. "It is obvious that the Senate has changed its attitude towards the Armenian Genocide. We are inspired to see that both Republican and Democrat senators support the resolution. I think this initiative will be a success," Manoyan said.
To remind, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee today adopted an Armenian Genocide Resolution, calling upon the Senate to commemorate this crime and encouraging the President to ensure that America's foreign policy reflects and reinforces the lessons, documented in the U.S. record, of this still-unpunished genocide. While announcing the vote, Senator Menendez said, "To me, to all men and women of good will, I would think there is a simple statement - genocide is genocide, and you cannot call it anything else but that and you need to have a recognition of that. Next year when we mark a century - a hundred years ago that the Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turkey, it seems to me that with most of the survivors gone - but with a few left - it is incredibly important for us to lead globally at this time."