TURKEY CRITICIZES CANADIAN PM’S REMARKS ON ALLEGED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Xinhua General News Service
April 26, 2007 Thursday 3:00 PM EST
Turkey on Thursday strongly criticized Canadian Prime Minister Stephen
Harper’s recent statement that referred the mass killing of Armenians
under the Turkish Ottoman Empire period as genocide.
"We find this reference in the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister
unacceptable, unjust and incompatible with our relations as friends
and allies," Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In his annual address in connection with the 92nd anniversary of
the alleged Armenian genocide on April 24, Harper reminded the both
chambers of the Canadian Parliament have adopted a resolution that
recognizes the first genocide of the 20th century.
"We regret Prime Minister Harper’s statement which will contribute
neither to the promotion of the Turkish-Canadian relations nor to a
possible rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia," the statement said.
"Turkey remains committed to preserving its good will and constructive
approach in order to assure that the events of 1915 are understood
correctly in their entirety by the Turks, the Armenians and other
nations," the statement noted.
"Turkey’s proposal to establish a joint commission of historians is
still on the table and has been brought widely to the attention of
the international public opinion," the ministry added in the statement.
Turkey has always refused to establish diplomatic relations with
Armenia on the basis that Yerevan claims up to 1.5 million Armenians
died as a result of mass killing during the Turkish Ottoman period
between 1915 and 1923, an event recognized as genocide by many
countries.
However, it does acknowledge that up to 300,000 Armenians and an even
higher number of Muslims died during fighting and efforts to relocate
populations away from the war zone in eastern Turkey.