US strongly opposes Armenian Genocide resolution: Philip Crowley

The United States "strongly opposes" to bringing the Armenian Genocide resolution to House floor, US  Assistant Secretary Philip Crowley said at a daily briefing on December 17.

"We are aware of a potential House Resolution 252, and we strongly oppose that resolution," Crowley said, asked whether he has any view on the fact that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a plan to bring the Armenian Genocide bill to the floor.

Further, Crowley said that the US believes that Armenia and Turkey should deal with their common past through "efforts to normalize relations".

"We continue to believe that the best way for Turkey and Armenia to address their shared past is through their efforts to normalize relations," he said.

It comes after the House majority leader Steny Hoyer announced earlier on Friday that the House is set to adjourn for the week on Friday evening, returning on Tuesday, December 21 to complete the legislative business for the 111th Congress.

The Armenian Genocide Resolution "calls upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution."

It also urges the president, in his "annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide issued on or about April 24, to accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1, 5 million Armenians as genocide and to recall the proud history of United States intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide."