TURKISH PM’S SCHEDULED VISIT TO SWEDEN CANCELLED
People’s Daily Online
March 12 2010
China
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s scheduled visit to
Sweden was cancelled following Swedish Parliament passed an Armenia
genocide resolution, an official statement said Thursday.
The statement issued by Prime Ministry Press Center said that Erdogan
was to attend Turkey-Sweden Summit on March 17, but the visit was
cancelled.
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.
Turkish government immediately recalled its ambassador to Sweden home
in protest against the Swedish parliament’s resolution.
The statement said "Turkish government expresses regret and strongly
condemns approval of the resolution in the Swedish parliament."
"Turkish government rejects this decision lacking basis. It is
obvious that the decision was made taking into consideration some
political interests for the elections in Sweden in September 2010,
" the statement said.
On March 4, Turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador to the United
States following 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, parliaments of the two countries have not passed
them yet.