ANKARA, Turkey, March 1 (UPI) -- Washington should understand the harm that a resolution on alleged genocide in Armenia would have to relations with Turkey, officials said Monday in Ankara.
U.S. Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., is backing a resolution headed Thursday to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs that would classify atrocities committed against the Armenia population under Ottoman rule in 1915 as genocide.
The Armenian diaspora in the United States has urged the U.S. government to formally take a strong stance on the issue.
Burak Ozugergin, a spokesman for the Turkish foreign minister, said in a written statement to English-language newspaper Hurriyet that the measure was regrettable.
"We want to believe the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee are aware of the harm that will be caused by the adoption of the draft resolution to Turkish-U.S. relations, as well as the efforts for peace and stability in the South Caucasus and that they will act with a feeling of responsibility," he said.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the U.S. measure would strike a "blow to his efforts to handle ties with Armenia.
A group of Turkish officials is headed to Washington to urge lawmakers not to pass the resolution.