Erdogan may call off visit to USA

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan may call off a visit to Washington next week in protest at votes in the House of Representatives to recognise mass killings of Armenians a century ago as genocide and to seek sanctions on Turkey, three Turkish officials said.

Erdogan is due in Washington on Nov. 13 at President Donald Trump’s invitation, but said last week that the votes put a “question mark” over the plans.

“Due to these decisions, Erdoğan’s visit has been put on hold,” Reuters quoted a senior Turkish official as saying, adding that a final decision had not been made.

In a historic vote on Oct. 29 the House voted overwhelmingly to officially recognize the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide.

The move that was seen as a rebuke to Turkey, which has spent nearly a century denying the claim.

The same day, the House dealt a second blow to Ankara when it overwhelmingly passed a bill threatening fresh sanctions on Turkey to punish it for its offensive into northeast Syria.

Trump and Erdoğan’s ties remain strong despite anger in Congress over Turkey’s Syria offensive and its purchase of Russian S-400 missile system, the Turkish sources told Reuters.

Via Ahval/ Reuters 

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