ANKARA — Turkish State Minister Zafer Caglayan cancelled his trip to the United States in response to the US House of Representatives' adoption of a resolution labelling the incidents of 1915 as "genocide," local Daily News reported on its website this week.

Caglayan, who is in charge of foreign trade, was scheduled to depart for the US on March 19 with a large business delegation, according to the report.

The decision was made Monday during a meeting with the Turkish ambassador to Washington Namik Tan, who had earlier been recalled in a show of protest.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia that Turkey would not send back its ambassador to the US before seeing clear results.

The attitude of the US in the next period was very important, Erdogan said, adding that he did not believe the US would sacrifice its strategic partner for simple political discussions.

On March 4, Turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador to the US Namik Tan minutes after a US congressional panel approved a resolution concerning Turkey.

The resolution on Armenian allegations related to the incidents of 1915 was adopted at the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs in a voting of 23-22.

Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols last October to normalize relations; however, the parliaments of the two countries have not approved them yet.

Turkey strongly rejects genocide allegations and regards the events as civil strife in wartime which claimed lives of many Turks and Armenians.

NATO member Turkey, a pivotal US ally, was infuriated after the US panel last week approved the non-binding measure condemning the killings.