Turkish Armenians are protesting the adoption of a resolution recognizing the so-called Armenian genocide by the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, CNN Turk reported.
Zadik Toker, head of the Armenian Church of the Turkish province of Kastamonu, opposed this decision.
Turkish Armenians staged a protest against the decision of the committee in the Turkish cities of Kayseri and Kastamonu.
U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted Thursday a resolution recognizing the so-called genocide with 23 votes to 22.
Armenia claims that the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. Making greater efforts to promote the issue internationally, Armenians have achieved its recognition by parliaments of some countries.
The Turkish government has expressed dissatisfaction with the decision of the U.S. Congress committee and said that it was a blow to Turkish-American relations.
The intervention of a third party, in this case the United States, in the relations between Armenia and Turkey complicates the process of reconciliation between the countries, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
The adoption of a resolution recognizing the genocide indicates that the U.S. Congress is very weak in developing a future political strategy, the Turkish minister said.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul expressed his regret after the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs approved the resolution on the genocide.
Regarding approval of the resolution, Gul said that "this decision is not reasonable. I strongly condemn it. It does not mean anything for Turkish people. Turkey will not be responsible for the negative outcomes of this voting."
A similar resolution was adopted in 2007 but as a result of former President George W. Bush's intervention, the resolution was not brought for further discussion, Anadolu reported.