TURKEY MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE ASSYRIAN GENOCIDE: LIBERAL PARTY OF SWEDEN

AINA, CA
Oct 4 2005

Folkpartiet, the Liberal Party of Sweden, held its Congress in
Gothenburg on 19-21 August. The Congress forms the policy for the
future and is Folkpartiet’s highest decicion taking body. Eight
thematic manifestos were debated and adopted, on issues such as
integration, education, justice and home affairs and globalisation.

All documentation are available (in Swedish). One of the issues were
the genocide on Armenians and Assyrians during World War One in the
Ottoman Empire. Folkpartiet decided to make following statement:

“The genocide that Armenians, Assyrians, Syriacs, Chaldeans and
Pontic Greeks were exposed to has for long time beeing viewed as a
Turkish-Armenian affair. Turkey belong to the European fellowship and
has in several respects fulfilled the requirements for membership in
EU. In short time from now negotiations are planned about when the
membership should begin. Turkey must take their responsibility and
make the truth known about the genocide on Armenians and others, and
aknowldedge the suffering of the victims. EU should bring considerable
pressure to Turkey in order for them to aknowledge the genocide on
Armenians, Assyrians, Syriacs, Chaldeans and Pontic Greeks. Turkey and
other countries should open their archives and in other ways promote
research about this dark side of the region’s history. Strong lobby
is also required to make sure that Turkey respect the Kurdish and
the Christian people’s rights.”

Folkpartiet is one the third biggest party according to the latest
election in 2002. They are expected to form the government with
the non-Socialist parties after next year’s general elections. In
Folkpartiet there are several politicians that work with Assyrian
related issues such as the EU-parliamenterian Cecilia Malmstrom,
Cecilia Wikstrom and Fredrik Malm; the president of the Liberal
Youth Federation.

Translated from Swedish by Ninos Maraha