Turkey is going to punish U.S. if Congress will dare to raise Genocide issue

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian is worried about high-level Turkish lobbying against a proposed congressional resolution that would recognize as Genocide the early 20th century killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians. In the interview to The Associated Press the RA FM stated, "Governments should stay away from meddling in these matters. But when topics of interest for Armenia are being discussed, we cannot remain as a government indifferent, particularly in light of Turkish lobbying at a government level." He also stressed that "the Turkish warnings are an attempt to silence critics of Turkey's position on genocide abroad as it has domestically through its penal code." "Now Turks are traveling to punish the United States if the U.S. Congress dares to speak out about the Armenian Genocide," the Armenian FM stated. Oskanian said he discussed the resolution with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Monday's meeting.