The US is between two fires – the influential Armenian lobby and Turkey, according to a Russian expert.
“Each President of the United States pledges to recognize the Armenian Genocide but none has done this so far,” said Alexander Sotnichenko, senior expert at Saint Petersburg Center of Modern Middle East Studies. “Americans always resort to the Genocide issue in Turkey tries to disregard their interests.”
“Russia is interested in recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Washington, as this would signify a crack in US-Turkish relations. Meanwhile, Turkey can exert a strong political leverage on the US. Being a NATO member state, it hosts a US military base in Incirlik. Besides, it’s the only NATO member state bordering on Iran and Syria. Turkey is an extremely important strategic partner the US and the regular Armenian Genocide resolution is nothing but a tool of pressure on Ankara,” he said.
