Another WikiLeaks Document Makes Clear US Position on Armenian Genocide

With more leaked US Embassy cables emerging, more interesting facts related to the US-Turkey relationship, particularly as it relates to Armenia, has come to the fore.

In particular, in a Jan. 2010 cable numbered as “Secret Ankara 000126”, US Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey makes mention of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols signed in Zurich on Oct. 10, 2009.

The paragraph on this topic reads as follows:

“The signing of the Protocols to reestablish Turkish-Armenian relations and open the common border in Zurich on October 10 was a landmark for the region.  However, neither Turkey nor Armenia have taken steps toward ratification; the GOT [Government of Turkey] argues that progress toward withdrawal of Armenian forces from Azerbaijani provinces surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh is a pre-condition.  (Note:  This was not/not part of the agreement, and not a position the U.S. supports.  End note.)  Future relations will nevertheless still be heavily linked to the 1915 “Armenian genocide” issue.  Any U.S. determination of the events of 1915 as “genocide” would set off a political firestorm in Turkey, and the effect on our bilateral relationship — including political, military, and commercial aspects — would be devastating.”