A Turkish minister has canceled a trip to the U.S. because of a resolution passed by a congressional committee labeling the World War I-era killing of Armenians as genocide, state-run media said Saturday. Kursad Tuzmen, who is in charge of foreign trade, was scheduled to attend an investment conference organized by the Turkish-U.S. Business Council, news agency Anatolia reported. It said the minister canceled his trip in protest at the genocide resolution passed Wednesday by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The committee passed a nonbinding resolution calling the massacres of Armenians between 1915-17 in the Turkish Ottoman empire a genocide, sparking angry comments by Turkish leaders, including the prime minister and the president. Turkey, a key supply route to U.S. troops in Iraq, recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations and warned of serious repercussions if the U.S. Congress passes the resolution, according to a report of the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian is to arrive in Washington on Wednesday for talks with U.S. officials, in a visit scheduled months ago, according to the Armenian embassy in Washington. He is expected to discuss economic cooperation and security issues.
