ERDOGAN SCRAPS VISIT TO ARGENTINA

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 31, 2010 – 12:07 AMT 07:07 GMT

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled a trip to
Argentina on Sunday after Buenos Aires authorities halted the display
of a bust of Turkey’s founder, a move Turkey blamed on Armenian
lobbyists.

The row over the statue, due to be unveiled in a park, comes during
a high-profile trip to South America by Erdogan. Turkey’s Foreign
Ministry said in a statement the two-day visit, which was to have
begun Sunday, was canceled, and it “hopes Argentina will take steps
to remove the shadow cast on Turkish-Argentine relations.”

“The trip was canceled because written permission for the monument
given to Turkey beforehand by the … Buenos Aires district was
reversed as a result of initiatives by the Armenian lobby, which
is opposed to Turkey,” it said. “Argentina’s president spoke with
Erdogan to explain she could not overrule the decision, yet he
found this unacceptable and decided not to go,” the statement added,
Reuters reported.

From: A. Papazian