Hurriyet, Turkey
March 13 2010

Sweden regrets parliament vote on Armenian ‘genocide’

Saturday, March 13, 2010
SAARISELKA, Finland – Agence France Presse

Sweden’s foreign minister deplored Saturday a vote by his country’s
parliament branding the events of 1915 as genocide as
counterproductive.

"It’s regrettable because the politisation of history serves no useful
purpose," Carl Bildt told journalists on the fringes of a meeting of
European foreign ministers in Finland.

"We’re interested in the business of reconciliation and decisions like
that tend to raise tensions rather than lower tensions," he said.

"And I’m afraid of the effect it might have on the normalisation
between Armenia and Turkey, we Europeans and Americans have been
investing a lot of energy into what is very fragile."

Going against the government’s advice, the Swedish parliament voted by
a narrow margin to recognize the "genocide of Armenians" during the
breakup of the Ottoman Empire, further infuriating Ankara by
mentioning also other Christian communities as victims of "genocide"
in Ottoman hands.

Ankara quickly recalled its ambassador and cancelled a visit by Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an to Sweden.

The Swedish vote came just days after a similar vote by a US
Congressional panel.

"We have to move on," Bildt said.

The Swedish minister late Friday met Turkish counterpart Ahmet
DavutoÄ?lu in a bid to soothe ruffled feathers.

"The position of the Swedish parliament was shocking for us because
parliaments should not decide for history, this is unacceptable," the
Turkish minister said.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed in a
systematic campaign of extermination during World War I as the Ottoman
Empire fell apart.

Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label, arguing that between
300,000 and 500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks were killed
in civil strife when Armenians rose up for independence and sided with
invading Russian forces.

But much to Ankara’s ire, parliaments in several countries have
recognized the killings as genocide.