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The meeting of the US Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey with the Turkish parliamentarians yesterday was held in a tense atmosphere. According to the Turkish Milliyet daily, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Mejlis expressed Ankara’s grave concern over the Armenian Genocide Resolution N252.

Jeffrey said the resolution approval is 50% possible:

“If it is passed, it will have a negative impact on the American-Turkish relations. As Mr. Obama told PM Erdogan December 7, the way out is normalize relations with Armenia, i.e. ratification of Armenia-Turkey protocols.”

“National Movement” Party (MHP) MP Deniz Bolukbas’ response was quick to follow Jeffrey’s remark:

“What do you mean? Your words are a hidden threat. What you say is not fair. We urge the Turkish government to submit a draft that harms the US-Turkish amity to the parliament and pass it. The government should either call back Armenia-Turkey protocols or reject it unanimously on vote.”

The US Ambassador didn’t answer an enquiry whether the US still urges Ankara to ratify the protocols after analyzing the Armenian Constitutional Court ruling. According to the source, Jeffrey pledged to inform Washington about Ankara's concerns. The meeting lasted for half an hour.