YEREVAN (ArmenPress) - The two Armenian members of the Iranian parliament are expected to ask the assembly to recognize Turkey's 1915-1923 genocide of the Armenians, the centrist daily Entekhab reported last week.

The representatives of Iran's more than 200,000 citizens of Armenian origin want the Iranian parliament to follow similar moves elsewhere, notably in the European parliament.

"The genocide of the Armenians by Turkey is an undeniable fact which has been recognized by an important number of states throughout the world," MP Leon Davidian told Entekhab.

A similar resolution by the Iranian parliament is likely to create further difficulties between Tehran and Ankara, which is criticized by Iran for its close ties with Israel.

Italian deputies and French senators have also backed the Armenian cause in recent votes, as has Pope John-Paul II, though a bill branding the killings as genocide was dropped from the agenda of the US House of Representatives this past October after pressure by President Bill Clinton.