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Turkey summons US envoy on Armenian claims - agency

ANKARA, Dec 13 (KUNA) -- The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned on Friday American Ambassador to Ankara David Satterfield, over a US congressional resolution on Armenian claims concerning 1915 events, diplomatic sources said.
Speaking to Satterfield, Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal voiced Turkey's strong criticism of the resolution, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, Anadolu Agency reported.
Following a similar House move, the U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian claims on the events of 1915.
Turkey's position on the events is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces.
A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.
Turkey objects to the presentation of the incidents as a "genocide" but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.
Ankara has repeatedly proposed creating a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia plus international experts to examine the issue. (end) rs.lr