Turkish parliament speaker postpones Russian trip to protest Armenian genocide bill
AP Worldstream
May 06, 2005
Turkey’s parliament speaker has postponed a trip to Russia to protest
Russia’s decision to recognize the mass killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks during World War I as genocide, his office said Friday.
Parliament speaker Bulent Arinc’s office said the speaker was
postponing his upcoming trip to Russia following last month’s decision
by Russia’s State Duma, or lower house of parliament, recognizing the
killings as genocide in late April. Arinc was scheduled to travel to
Russia around mid-June.
Armenians say some 1.5 million of their people were killed as the
Ottoman Empire forced them from eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1923
in a deliberate campaign of genocide.
Turkey denies it was genocide, saying the death count is inflated
and insisting that Armenians were killed or displaced as the Ottoman
Empire tried to secure its border with Russia and stop attacks by
Armenian militants.
Several countries, including Argentina, Poland, Canada, France and
Russia, have declared the killings a genocide, and there is strong
pressure from Armenians worldwide for U.S. Congress to recognize the
killings as genocide as well.
Turkey has said it might establish political ties if Armenia agrees
to set up a joint commission to investigate the killings.
Armenia says it is ready to re-establish relations with Ankara,
but without any preconditions.
The issue, which is highly sensitive in Turkey, has gained new urgency
as Turkey seeks membership in the European Union.