The Trump administration opposes Turkey sanctions adopted by the House last week as well as a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, arguing that the two initiatives risk further straining relations with a key NATO ally, Bloomberg quotes a senior State Department official as saying.
According to the source, the administration is concerned that the sanctions will tie its hands and cut off options to resolve U.S. concerns about Turkey’s actions.
The measure, which passed 403-16 in the House last week, would sanction senior Turkish officials and prohibit them from entering the U.S. It would also bar the transfer of U.S. defense materiel to Turkey for use in Syria, and it would require the Pentagon and State Department to submit plans to prevent the resurgence of Islamic State.
According to the administration official, the decision to pass the Armenian Genocide resolution just as the House was condemning Turkey over the Syria incursion “is unfortunate timing and may result in legislation that’s seen as punitive rather than principled.”
“The official said the U.S. position hadn’t changed, and it mourns the 1.5 million Armenians deported and massacred at the end of the Ottoman Empire,” Bloomberg reported.
The U.S. already commemorates Meds Yeghern, what it calls one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century, and welcomes efforts by Armenia and Turkey to reckon with their history, the official said.
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