Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Germany
 Friday 8:42 AM EST


Turkey summons Dutch envoy, 'firecely' condenms Armenia genocide vote

 Istanbul

DPA POLITICS Turkey diplomacy Netherlands  Turkey summons Dutch
envoy, 'firecely' condenms Armenia genocide vote Istanbul
The top Dutch diplomat in Ankara was summoned to the
Turkish Foreign Ministry Friday, a day after the Dutch parliament
voted to recognize the mass killing of Armenians during World War I
as genocide, state-run news agency Anadolu reported.


Turkey "fiercely" condemned the resolution - which received
overwhelming support, with only three lawmakers voting against -
saying it has "no legal binding character or validity."

The Dutch government said it would continue to discuss "the question
of the Armenian genocide" but was not planning official recognition.

Turkey vehemently rejects any assertion that the killing of up to 1.5
million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire constitutes
genocide. However, Turkey, the Ottoman Empire's successor state,
accepts that many Armenians were killed during the war.

This is the second time in a week that the top Dutch envoy to Ankara
has been summoned. He was called into the ministry last week too, as
it became clear Dutch lawmakers planned to move ahead with the
recognition.

Relations between the Netherlands and Turkey are rocky. The two NATO
allies and key trading partners do not have ambassadors posted to
each other's capitals.

The Dutch government banned Turkish politicians from entering the
country to conduct election rallies aimed at Turkish expatriates in
the Netherlands in March last year, ahead of a controversial
referendum on expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.