Responding to a question by the Voice of America (VOA) Turkish Service concerning the submission of a resolution to the US Senate requesting the US administration to recognize Armenian claims, Şensoy indicated that it was an unexpected development. "It is extremely wrong and unfortunate to introduce such a thing to the Senate in the immediate aftermath of the protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia. I hope it will not make much progress," he said.
When he was reminded of US President Barack Obama's stance regarding the Armenian allegations that the Ottoman Empire had conducted systematic genocide targeting Anatolian Armenians, Ambassador Şensoy noted that Obama did not make any mention of them in his April 24 speech. "We were hoping that Obama, like previous presidents, would not use the word ‘genocide' in his April 24 speech, and this what happened," he said, adding that he did not think that "Obama will use such a ‘controversial' phrase, given that the two sides have made an agreement and declared that they will deal specifically with this issue in some way or other."
Şensoy also answered a question about the US's stance regarding Turkish-Azerbaijani relations. "We believe in the first place that it would be extremely beneficial to divert Turkish-Armenian relations into a new channel with these protocols, thereby starting diplomatic relations between the two countries, followed by the opening of the common border and the start of an exchange between them. We think that this will prove useful not only to the bilateral relationship between Turkey and Armenia, but also in terms of making positive contributions to the peace, stability and security in the South Caucasus, especially in the region rife with ‘frozen problems.' In this respect, our expectation is that this will not have any negative impact on the bilateral relations between ‘two states with one nation,' i.e., Turkey and Azerbaijan. We have already made this clear with statements made by authorities at the highest level.
Turkey can never be expected to launch or support any move that will not be in favor of our Azerbaijani sisters and brothers. Thus, our Azerbaijani sisters and brothers can rest assured that we will always continue to keep their interests a priority at all times," he said.
Ambassador Şensoy further expressed his belief that the problems which may appear between Turkey and the US from time to time in the form of resolution will be overcome.
Cooperation on the PKK issue
Asked whether cooperation between Turkey and the US regarding the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has reached an adequate level, Şensoy noted that the US has been cooperating with Turkey in this regard for a long time. Pointing out that the overall fight against terrorism is a major aspect of Turkey's relations with the US, Şensoy explained that the extent of US aid to Turkey in terms of counterterrorism cannot quite be gauged as long as the attacks from northern Iraq on Turkey continue. Noting that the US declared the PKK not only a terrorist organization but also an enemy of the US, Şensoy indicated that by improving cooperation, especially in terms of “real-time intelligence,” Turkey's capability in fighting the PKK in northern Iraq has increased.
