BAKU. Oct 30 (Interfax) - The Azerbaijani presidential office has condemned the adoption of a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire by the United States House of Representatives.
"We condemn and see as prejudiced and unjust Resolution 296 by the U.S. House of Representatives on the fictional Armenian genocide. This resolution has no political, legal, or historical substantiation and was adopted through efforts of pro-Armenian lobbying groups," the head of the foreign policy department at the Azerbaijani presidential office, Hikmet Hajiyev, said in a statement.
"Armenia and Armenian lobbying groups have turned the so-called 'Armenian genocide' into a political gambling tool. To this end, they are trying to conceal crimes committed by Armenians in the South Caucasus and in other regions. This is why Armenia has declined Turkey's proposal on investigating events of that period through a joint historical commission," Hajiyev said.
It was reported earlier that the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The resolution, sponsored by Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, was supported by 405 Congress members, and only 11 voted against it, U.S. media reported.