Azerbaijan condemns US vote on Armenian claims

Azerbaijan slammed the U.S. House of Representatives' resolution on recognizing Armenian claims of 1915 events.

"We condemn the U.S. House of Representatives' decision and find it biased and unjust," Hikmet Hajiyev, head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of Azerbaijan's Presidential Administration, said in a statement on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing the so-called "Armenian genocide", with lawmakers voting 405-11.

"The resolution has no political, legal and historical basis, and was adopted as a result of the efforts of the Armenian lobby groups," Hajiyev said.

He stressed that instead of politicians, the historians should study the events that occurred at that time.

Hajiyev went on to say that Armenia and the circles of the Armenian lobby have turned the "fictional Armenian genocide" into an object of political speculation.

"Thus, they want to cover up the crimes committed by Armenians in the South Caucasus and in other regions. Therefore, Armenia doesn't accept Turkey's proposal to investigate those events by a joint commission," he added.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia plus international experts to examine the issue.

Hajiyev also noted that falsification of history, as well as "attempts to rewrite history" and its use for the purpose of political pressure are unacceptable.

Turkey's position on the events of 1915 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 "genocide" but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.