( RIA Novosti ) - Turkey has recalled its ambassador from the United States after a U.S. House of Representatives committee passed a resolution classing the 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide, the Turkish NTV television company said. A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman, Levent Bilman, said Ambassador Nabi Sensoy had been recalled "for consultations."
NTV also said the Turkish navy commander had cancelled his visit to the U.S.
The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted 27- 21 in favor of the resolution on genocide on Wednesday, in a move that is likely to strain Washington's relations with Turkey, a key NATO ally providing crucial support for U.S. operations in Iraq.
President George Bush and his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul warned that the resolution would be a heavy blow to bilateral relations.