Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 14 2010
Swedish PM Reinfeldt apologizes to ErdoÄ?an after Armenian resolution
Sunday, March 14, 2010
ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News
Swedish Prime Minister Frederick Reinfeldt called his Turkish
counterpart late Saturday to apologize for a vote in the Swedish
parliament saying the Ottoman Empire committed `genocide’ against
Armenians and other minorities in 1915.
`The government is absolutely against the resolution, which was
ratified as a result of domestic policy, and it will have no sanction
or exercise power,’ Reinfeldt said, according to a statement issued by
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an’s office.
The controversial 131-130 vote came as a blow to the `excellent
diplomatic relations’ between the countries, Turkish diplomats said.
`We will not allow this [resolution] to affect bilateral relations in
a negative way,’ Reinfeldt said. `Sweden will continue supporting
Turkey, especially in its EU accession process, as always. We are
ready to do our best to protect the existing relations from such a
baseless decision made by only one extra vote.’
In reply, ErdoÄ?an said politicians cannot re-shape history.
`Turkey presented its archives to historians, scientists and
researchers from all sides,’ he said. `The political attempts, results
of ignorance and prejudice, disrupt both scientific research and
Turkey’s peace efforts in the region.’
Expressing his disappointment with the resolution, ErdoÄ?an urged the
Swedish government `to take steps to remedy this mistake.’
The resolution says that Armenians and other Christian minorities were
subjected to genocide during World War I while the Ottoman Empire fell
apart. Turkey denies any systematic massacre or genocide and asserts
that people from both Turkish and Armenian communities were killed in
civil strife during wartime.
In protest of the Swedish parliament’s move, ErdoÄ?an has canceled a
planned visit to Stockholm, and Turkish Ambassador Zergün Korutürk has
been recalled to Ankara.
Gates responds to `genocide’ vote
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates meanwhile said Saturday that the
United States felt very strongly that passing of a similar resolution
in a congressional committee was a mistake.
A resolution of that kind could be very damaging to U.S.-Turkey
relations, Gates said.
`We certainly hope that Congress and the House of Representatives take
this measure no further,’ Gates said during an interview with the
al-Arabia TV channel.
Saying he was worried about the resolution, Gates noted that only one
committee of the House of Representatives had voted on the bill
labeling the events of 1915 as `genocide.’
`Turkey and Armenia are making progress toward a reconciliation,’
Gates said, adding that the protocols between the two countries had
been drafted with that goal in mind and that the United States
supports that process.