Turkey's trade minister has cancelled a trip to the United States in response to a US House Foreign Affairs Committee vote last week that recognized the Armenian Genocide.

Zafer Çağlayan was scheduled to depart for the US on March 19 with a large business delegation. The decision to cancel the trip was made Monday during consultations with the country’s ambassador to Washington, who had earlier been recalled in a show of protest.

Ambassador Namık Tan attended a meeting at the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday and met Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, diplomatic.

Although Davutoğlu said consultations will continue for the next few days, it is unclear when the ambassador will return to Washington.

Speaking to reporters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said:

"As long as the situation does not get any clearer, we will not send our ambassador back to Washington. America should not let go of a strategic ally like Turkey over such an issue," he said, describing the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs' decision as "a comedy stunt."