TURKEY UNEASY OVER SWEDISH PARLIAMENT’S APPROVAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

Xinhua
March 12 2010
China

ANKARA, March 12 (Xinhua) — Turkish Foreign Ministry Friday conveyed
Turkey’s uneasiness to Swedish Ambassador in Ankara Christer Asp
after the Swedish parliament passed an Armenian genocide resolution,
the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

The ministry strongly condemned the decision and asked Sweden to
take serious steps which would compensate this decision, according
to the report.

Sweden’s parliament on Thursday passed a resolution recognizing the
killing of Armenians and many other ethnic groups in 1915 as genocide.

The 349-seat parliament passed the resolution with a narrow majority,
with 131 yes, 130 no and 88 abstention, according to the Swedish news
agency TT.

The ministry officials told Asp that the decision might seriously harm
the relations between Turkey and Sweden which had been developing in
the recent period, said the Anatolia report.

The Swedish ambassador was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry
early Friday after the Swedish parliament’s resolution.

Asp told reporters that he explained the Swedish government’s stance
on the issue to Turkish officials during his talks at the ministry.

Asp noted the Swedish parliament’s decision was not binding for the
government, adding that the decision would certainly not affect his
country’s support to Turkey’s EU bid.

On March 4, Turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador to the United
States after a U.S. congressional panel approved a resolution labeling
the incidents of 1915 as "genocide."

Turkey and Armenia have been bogged down in the row over the deaths
of Armenians, and have no diplomatic or economic ties since Armenia
declared its independence in 1991.

Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols last October to normalize
relations, however, the parliaments of the two countries have not
yet passed them.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress