A US congressional panel has labelled the 1915 killing of Armenians by Turkey ‘genocide’.   President Obama’s administration had tried to prevent voting on the controversial issue on Thursday.
 
Whilst Armenia is happy with the outcome, Turkey has recalled its ambassador to the US. 
 
However, the panel felt a decision was important.  Speaking after the vote, Congressman Brad Sherman said: “Long term, we will not have a good relationship with Turkey until it abandons this effort to deny the past and engage in genocide denial.  Would we have a good relationship with the German government denying the Holocaust?  And who would have a good relationship with us if we were denying slavery and so many other things in our past?
 
It is estimated that 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks 95 years ago. Turkey accepts that some people were killed, but it disputes the number that died and will not agree to the term ‘genocide’. 
 
The US Congress last discussed this contentious issue in 2007.

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