The House of Representatives of the US Congress approved a resolution recognizing the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide, news agencies said. The resolution was approved by a large majority - 405 in favour and 11 against

For the first time, such a resolution is put to a vote in plenary at one of the chambers of Congress in Washington.
The resolution states the importance of honouring the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide through its official recognition.

Congressmen have also spoken out against efforts aimed at "associating the US government with denying the Armenian genocide or any other genocide." The House of Representatives called on Americans to receive more information on Armenian genocide. Earlier, a similar document had been tabled in the Senate.

“Recent attacks by the Turkish military against the Kurdish people are a stark reminder of the danger in our own time,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said in a speech on Tuesday, The New York Times reported.

For decades, congressmen have discussed such resolutions, but they have not been put to the vote. Observers note that the resolution will lead to a serious deterioration of US-Turkish relations.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomes the decision of the House of Representatives of the US Congress to recognize the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, TASS reported.

"The resolution (on the recognition of genocide) is a bold step towards establishing truth and historical justice, it will bring comfort to many descendants of Armenians who have survived the genocide," Pashinyan wrote in Twitter.

Armenia acknowledges the US House of Representatives and believes that this step is important in the context of the celebration of humanism, truth and justice, a statement issued by the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported today.

Armenia is deeply grateful to the members of the House for their determination to vote on Resolution 296, recognizing the genocide against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The move testifies to a commitment to the ideas of humanism, truth, justice, universal values ​​of solidarity and human rights, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The document stresses that the adoption of this resolution is an important step in sustaining international efforts to prevent genocide crime. Armenia is ready to continue close cooperation with all international partners to step up efforts to prevent crimes against humanity, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.