TURKEY CONDEMNS CANADIAN PM’S REMARKS ON 1915 INCIDENTS

The New Anatolian
Turkish Press
April 26 2006

Press Review

Turkish Foreign Ministry officials are protesting the Canadian
government over Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s remarks last week
describing the events of 1915 as an “Armenian genocide.” Turkish
diplomats described Harper’s remarks as grossly prejudiced, since
the allegations have not been proven by unbiased historical studies.

According to ministry officials, such remarks do not contribute to
a dialogue between Turkey and Armenia, and have a negative impact on
Turkish-Canadian relations. In related news, in his annual message to
mark the tragic events of 1915, US President George W. Bush on Monday
called on Turks and Armenians to forge a dialogue in order to normalize
their relations. As expected, resisting Armenian pressure in his annual
speech to mark April 24, the date claimed as a commemoration of the
genocide claims, he didn’t use the term “genocide,” and said, “Today
we’re remembering one of the horrible tragedies of the 20th century.”