WASHINGTON, D.C.
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a draft resolution on Thursday that supports Armenian allegations regarding the events of 1915.
The committee, which consists of 10 Democrats and eight Republicans, approved the draft resolution by a vote of 12 to 5 senators.
Committee chairman Robert Menendez called for amendment on the bill, causing references to Turkey to be removed.
The bill reaffirms that women and children were allegedly killed in the events of 1915, according to Committee chairman Robert Menendez.
During the First World War, the Ottoman Empire approved a deportation law for Armenians, amid their uprising with the help of invading Russian army. As a result, an unknown number of people died in civil strife. Armenian diaspora and state of Armenia term the incidents as "genocide" and ask for compensation, whereas Ankara says while Armenians died during deportation many Turks also died due to the attacks by Armenian gangs all around Anatolia.
Senior committee member Republican Bob Corker said the bill would cause further damage to relations between Turkey and Armenia.
A final adoption of the draft bill will be put to a vote in the general assembly.
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