TURKEY’S ENVOY RETURNS TO SWEDEN AFTER ARMENIA ISSUE

March 30 2010
Turkey

Turkey’s senior diplomat returned to Sweden after consultations in
Ankara on the decision of the Swedish parliament to adopt a resolution
on the incidents of 1915.

Tuesday, 30 March 2010 13:10

Turkey’s senior diplomat returned to Sweden on Tuesday after
consultations in Ankara on the decision of the Swedish parliament to
adopt a resolution on the incidents of 1915.

Zergun Koruturk, Turkey’s ambassadress to Sweden, told reporters
that she was going back to Sweden after she had held consultations in
Ankara on Swedish parliament’s adopting the resolution acknowledging
Armenian allegations regarding the incidents of 1915.

"Calling back an ambassador to his/her country for consultations is
a serious reaction, and even a protest, in diplomacy," she said.

Koruturk said Turkey showed that reaction and the Swedish government
did no way approve the decision of the parliament.

"The Swedish constitution authorizes the government to deal with
foreign policy, and therefore this decision is only recommendatory,"
she said.

Koruturk said the Swedish government had clearly stated that it would
not implement that decision.

Ambassadress Koruturk flew to Turkey by the first flight immediately
after adoption of the resolution.

Foreign ministers of the two countries met in Finland afterwards,
and Swedish prime minister called Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and apologized for developments.

"Therefore, many things have passed since that day, and it has been
seen that this is a wrong decision and the government has clearly
showed that it will not implement it," she said.

Koruturk said then, Turkey showed a political will that it was time
that the senior diplomat went back to Sweden.

"My return to Sweden is a political decision, just as my return to
Turkey," she said.

Koruturk said every one had thought that all conditions had emerged
for her return to Sweden.

"We will altogether see what they will do to compensate this mistake,
and I hope the Swedish government will do its best," she also said.

Swedish Parliament approved on March 11 a resolution on Armenian
allegations regarding 1915 incidents.

The resolution was approved with 131 votes against 130.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs also
approved the resolution on Armenian allegations regarding incidents
of 1915 earlier this month.

Turkey strongly rejects the genocide allegations and regards the
events as civil strife in wartime which claimed lives of many Turks
and Armenians.

Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols on October 10, 2009 to
normalize relations between the two countries. The protocols envisage
the two countries to establish diplomatic ties and open the border
that has been close since 1993.

Turkey and Armenia also agreed to take steps to operate a
sub-commission on impartial scientific examination of the historical
records and archive to define existing problems and formulate
recommendations, in which Armenian, Turkish as well as Swiss and
other international experts would take part.

However, on January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of Armenia
declared a decision of constitutional conformity on the protocols.

Turkey thought the fifth article of Armenian Constitutional Court’s
verdict regarding the protocols was against the target and basis of
the protocols.