WASHINGTON D.C. - "If the draft (on the so-called Armenian genocide) submitted to the U.S. Congress is adopted, Turkish-U.S. relations will be harmed by the Congress itself," Egemen Bagis, Justice & Development Party (AKP) MP, said on Tuesday.
Bagis is a member of the Turkish parliamentary delegation actually in Washington D.C. to lobby against the draft resolution.
In an exclusive interview with the A.A correspondent, Bagis said, "we are endeavoring to prevent the U.S. Congress to make a wrong historic decision. We will inform and warn them within this scope."
Expressing uneasiness over the situation since he is also the Chairman of Turkish-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, Bagis said, "Congress members are under pressure by their own voters. The voters exerce pressure for their own ethnic interests."
"This resolution will also kill the chance of Armenia to open up to the West. Turkey is the gate for Armenia to open to the Western world. This is a passage of peace, civilization, democracy and economic development. However, Armenia insistently try to close this gate through such kind of campaigns," Bagis indicated.
"Armenia should abandon remaining stuck between the controversial pages of the history and should catch up with the 21st century. In that case we will have many things to discuss with Armenia," Bagis noted.
On the other hand Turkish parliamentary delegation members met executives of AIPAC, a Jewish institution, on Monday evening.
The delegation is expected to have talks in U.S. State Department and meet executives of some Jewish organizations today.
The delegation will also have talks in the Congress on Wednesday and Thursday.