TURKEY’S PM CANCELS VISIT TO ARGENTINA OVER MEMORIAL INAUGURATION SPAT

Winnipeg Free Press
May 30 2010
Canada

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkey says the prime minister has cancelled the
Argentina leg of his Latin American tour to protest the annulment of
an event honouring Turkey’s late leader, under pressure by Armenian
activists.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday Recep Tayyip Erdogan would
travel to Chile from Brazil, skipping a two-day visit to Argentina.

Erdogan was scheduled to attend a ceremony inaugurating a memorial
to Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The ministry said the
event was cancelled following lobbying by “hostile” Armenian groups
who want Turkey to recognize the World War I-era mass killings of
Armenians as genocide.

It said Argentina’s president called Erdogan expressing understanding
but explained that the Buenos Aires administration’s decision cannot
be overruled.

From: A. Papazian