The approval of the Armenia “genocide” resolution by a U.S. House committee is perhaps not “the end of the world” but surely is the “end of the historic protocols” signed between Turkey and Armenia, according to a top official.

“No one should expect Turkish Parliament to proceed with the protocols at least until April 24,” a senior foreign ministry official told a limited group of journalists Friday. April 24 is the commemoration day of the alleged killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915.  Many Armenians would like the U.S. president to use the word “genocide” in the annual written statement to mark the date.

Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols last year to establish diplomatic ties and open the border after decades of hostility between the two neighboring countries. The protocols, however, are yet to be ratified by either parliament. The resolution came at a moment when Turkey and Armenia were engaged in a diplomatic process to resolve problems that are blocking the ratifications.

“Turkey has internal dynamics, too. The Parliament cannot make any step with regard to the protocols. There is a very important reaction,” the official told journalists. However, the hurdles before the reconciliation process are not limited to the House panel’s approval. The lack of any development in the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabahk problem stands as an additional problem for Turkey, which promised its ally Azerbaijan not to proceed with the protocols unless Yerevan withdraws its troops from occupied Azeri lands.

According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, some circles in the U.S. administration think the resolution can be used as leverage against Ankara for swift ratification of the protocols. “We know who they are and what they are planning. They should know such an attempt will never be responded to by Turkey,” the diplomat noted.

“They perhaps wanted to give a message to Turkey to urge that, in the case of the failure of the process, they are ready with their sticks in hand.”

The same source also touched on the role of the Israeli lobby during this process. “Our ambassador to Washington met with all prominent representatives of the Israeli lobby. They promised to give support, but when compared to the past, their support was minimal. Perhaps they also wanted to give a message to Turkey to show the damage in ties between Ankara and Tel Aviv,” added the diplomat.

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