TURKEY DISAPPOINTED BY SWEDISH VOTE ON ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS, EU NEGOTIATOR SAYS

Journal of Turkish Weekly
March 12 2010

ANKARA (A.A) – Turkey was saddened and disappointed by the Swedish
parliament’s endorsement of a resolution in support of Armenian
allegations regarding the tragic events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire,
Turkey’s chief European Union negotiator has said.

"We are saddened and disappointed by this resolution. The Swedish
parliament has bowed down to distorted history arguments which are
far from reflecting the truth. Politicians should be looking to the
future not to the past," Egemen Bagis said Friday when responding to
a question.

The Swedish parliament on Thursday adopted 131 to 130 the resolution
just days after a U.S. House panel passed a similar bill, raising
concerns that it could jeopardize a rapprochement process between
Turkey and Armenia as the two had signed protocols to normalize
relations and open their border.

"Turkey is ready to face up to its past and it needs no tribunals set
by foreign parliaments to do that," Bagis said, recalling Turkey’s
proposal to put together a team of historians both from Turkey and
Armenia as well as other countries to dig into the issue.

"It is unfortunate that the Armenian state and the Armenian diaspora
had brushed aside our proposal, a well-meant initiative which had
been even discarded by the international community," Bagis said.