The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has acted beyond its position, competence and responsibility by adopting by majority vote a hastily and ineptly prepared draft resolution (S.Res.410). We reject this attempt at a political exploitation that distorts history and law, and we condemn those who led this prejudiced initiative, which is devoid of any legal ground.

In actuality, how Turks and Armenians, as the owners of this common history, can together, through dialogue and empathy, reach a just memory of the tragic events of 1915, which occurred during the great human sufferings of World War I, is already being examined thoroughly and in all its dimensions. In this context, our proposal to establish a Joint Historical Commission, also reflected in the Turkish-Armenian protocols, remains on the agenda.

In the forthcoming period, it is essential that the U.S. Congress engages in efforts aimed at strengthening our historic alliance and partnership, which are more important than ever in the present circumstances, instead of damaging Turkish-American bilateral ties; and that this draft resolution and similar ones are not moved any further in the legislative agenda.