AHN | All Headline News –
March 13 2010

Turkey Recalls Envoy To Sweden

Linda Young – AHN Editor

Ankara, Turkey (AHN) – Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Sweden
after the Swedish parliament narrowly passed a resolution calling the
killing of Armenians by Turkish forces during World War I genocide.

The resolution passed by only a single vote. The ballot was 131-130
with 88 parliamentarians abstaining from the vote.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the vote and
said he was recalling the nation’s ambassador to Sweden, Zergun
Koruturkaction, for consultations. Erdogan also cancelled a planned
visit to Sweden scheduled for April.

Erdogan said the resolution was not in keeping with the close
relationship between the two nations and that it would have a
"drastic" affect on relations between the two nations.

Sweden’s resolution comes only a week after the United States Congress
passed a similar resolution.

Although Turkey accepts the historical fact that many Christian
Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks during WW I in 1915, it does
not think that 1.5 million people died and it rejects calling the
killings genocide.

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