Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 17 2008

Ankara to recall ambassador from Argentina after `genocide’ rulings

The Turkish capital plans to call its ambassador from Buenos Aires
back home for "political consultations," in reaction to Buenos Aires’
insistent indifference to Ankara’s marked uneasiness over a cascade of
laws, official decisions and statements in support of the Armenian
"genocide."

"The bilateral relationship with Argentina is likely to encounter much
activity soon," Turkish diplomatic sources told Today’s Zaman on
Friday, noting that Turkey’s Ambassador to Argentina Hayri Hayret
Yalav was expected to be recalled to Ankara for "political
consultations in the near future" in order to review bilateral
relations with this country.

Yalav, who was appointed to his current post with a government decree
in December 2006, previously returned to Ankara in early 2007 after
presenting his credentials to then-Argentinean President Néstor
Kirchner — again for "political consultations." Officials at the
Argentinean Embassy in Ankara, approached by Today’s Zaman on Friday,
said that Argentinean Ambassador to Turkey Brugo Marco was currently
in Buenos Aires. Counselor Luis Susmann did not want to make a
statement on the issue in absence of the ambassador, officials also
said.

Developments generating friction in bilateral relations between
Argentina and Turkey actually date back to autumn 2006. In November of
that year the lower house of Argentina’s parliament adopted a
resolution recognizing killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
during World War I as "genocide." The resolution, which was adopted by
an overwhelming majority in the assembly, declared April 24 an
official "day of mutual tolerance and respect" among peoples around
the world. Armenians mark April 24 as the beginning of a "systematic
genocide campaign" against Ottoman Armenians.

In January 2007, in a move that brought applause from the Armenian
diaspora, former President Kirchner approved the draft law proclaiming
April 24 "the day of tolerance and respect."

Turkey categorically rejects the genocide claims and says Turks and
Armenians were killed in internal strife when Armenians revolted
against Ottoman rule in eastern Anatolia in hopes of carving out an
independent state in collaboration with the invading Russian military.

In April of this year, Argentina’s Senate approved a declaration with
reference to the law, which entered into force in January 2007
following the president’s approval. In the same month, the Turkish
Foreign Ministry announced that State Minister Mehmet Aydın had
cancelled a planned visit to Argentina in protest of the country’s
stance.

Turkish officials regard the fact that Argentina is home to the
third-largest Armenian diaspora — following the United States and
France — as a strong factor in the current political crisis on the
bilateral political agenda, although this element has no relation to
the substance of relations with the country.

Observers say the point to which bilateral relations between Argentina
and Turkey have come is particularly sad at a time when Ankara has
shown significant will to improve relations with the Latin America and
Caribbean countries.

In line with its multidimensional foreign policy, Turkey pursued a
more active policy towards these countries in the beginning of the
1990s. An "Action Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean" was put
into effect as of 1998 and has been reviewed constantly since then. In
2006 Turkey took another significant step, declaring 2006 Year of
Latin America and the Caribbean, giving a further boost to the action
plan.

Yet the same observers say that under current circumstances the
Turkish capital has been pushed into the point of taking certain
measures to show clearly its displeasure at Argentina’s attitude.

17 May 2008, Saturday
EMÄ°NE KART ANKARA