TURKISH PM ERDOGAN CANCELS ARGENTINA TRIP

BBC
Sunday, 30 May 2010 16:06
UK

Mr Erdogan had been due to meet President Cristina Kirchner on Monday

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cancelled the Argentina
leg of his tour of Latin America.

It comes after city officials in Buenos Aires called off an event
inaugurating a monument to the revered founder of modern Turkey,
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

The Turkish foreign ministry blamed “hostile” interference from
Armenian pressure groups in Argentina.

Turkey and Armenia remain in a long-running row over the 1915 mass
killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks.

Armenian groups want Turkey to recognise the killings as genocide –
Argentina is one of several countries to have done so.

President Cristina Kirchner is reported to have telephoned Mr Erdogan
to express her understanding of his position, but to explain that the
central government could not reverse the city government’s decision.

Mr Erdogan had been due to meet Ms Kirchner on Monday but will now
travel directly to Chile for the next leg of the tour.

From: A. Papazian