Washington D.C., Nov 25, 2019 / 18:01 pm
Congressional resolutions recognizing the Armenian genocide were reportedly blocked by Republican senators at the direction of the White House.
Axios reported Saturday that a resolution recognizing the genocide of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire that had overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives was recently blocked from moving forward in the Senate by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), after the White House requested he do so.
The House passed the resolution recognizing the genocide Oct. 29, just over two weeks before an official visit of Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House. The resolution sponsored by Rep. Adan Schiff (D-Calif.) said it is U.S. policy to recognize and commemorate the Armenian genocide.
The advocacy group In Defense of Christians praised the resolution as "a clear condemnation of the Turkish government's denial of the atrocities committed by their predecessor's against Christians."