ARGENTINA LOSING US OVER ‘GENOCIDE’ ROW, WARNS ANKARA
Emine Kart Ankara
Today’s Zaman
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May 15 2008
Turkey
The Turkish capital’s patience seems to have been stretched to the
limit by Buenos Aires’ indifference to its strong uneasiness over
a cascade of laws, official decisions and statements in support of
claims of a systematic genocide campaign against Anatolian Armenians
in the beginning of the last century.
"Endorsing laws, decisions and statements concerning the so-called
Armenian genocide both at its federal and regional parliaments since
the 1970s, Argentina hasn’t given a thought at all to the reaction
it created in Turkey," a senior Turkish diplomat told Today’s Zaman
on Tuesday.
"The relations between Argentina — which hasn’t avoided mounting
the tension via adopting last year a law concerning April 24; this
year’s approval of the Senate of a declaration concerning this law
and statements made by senior level bureaucrats — and Turkey have
come to the point of rupture," the same diplomat, speaking under
customary condition of anonymity, also said, reflecting Ankara’s
anger over the issue.
In November 2006 the lower house of Argentina’s parliament adopted a
resolution recognizing the killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
during World War I as genocide. The resolution, which was adopted
by an overwhelmingly majority in the assembly, declared April 24 an
official "day of mutual tolerance and respect" among peoples around
the world. Armenians mark April 24 as the beginning of a systematic
genocide campaign against Ottoman Armenians.
In January 2007, in a move that brought applause from the Armenian
diaspora, Argentina President Néstor Kirchner approved the draft
law proclaiming April 24 "the day of tolerance and respect."
Turkey categorically rejects the genocide claims and says Turks and
Armenians were killed in internal strife when Armenians revolted
against Ottoman rule in eastern Anatolia in hopes of carving out an
independent state in collaboration with the invading Russian military.
In April this year, Argentina’s Senate approved a declaration with
reference to the law, which entered into force in January 2007
following the president’s approval. In the same month, the Turkish
Foreign Ministry had announced that State Minister Mehmet Aydın
cancelled a planned visit to Argentina in protest of Argentina’s
stance.
Turkish officials exerted efforts for overcoming the languor in
bilateral relations with Argentina that emerged following January
2007, the diplomat explained, adding, however, that these efforts
went unanswered.
"The Argentinean government hasn’t put distance between itself and
this law and has even avoided making a statement that would emphasize
the importance attached to good relations with our country," the
diplomat said, portraying a move in April of this year as a sign
clearly showing incomprehension of the Argentinean Senate concerning
ongoing "tension and disappointment" in Turkey created by earlier
developments in Argentina.
It will not be a surprise if the Foreign Ministry announces that it
will call its ambassador in Buenos Aires for political consultations
as it did in January of last year.
"Under these conditions, continuing relations between the two
countries at the ambassadorial level is not compatible with political
realities. The crisis between the two countries will deepen further
as long as decisions and discourses belonging to Argentina — based on
Armenian lies distorting history and violating fundamental principles
of international law — continue," the Turkish diplomat said.
Argentinean ambassador summoned to Foreign Ministry
The Foreign Ministry recently summoned Argentinean Ambassador to Turkey
Brugo Marco to its headquarters, where Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan,
undersecretary of the ministry, submitted to Marco a diplomatic note of
protest expressing Turkey’s uneasiness over the series of developments.
"The policy that has been assumed by Argentina concerning the so-called
genocide is unacceptable. International relations are conducted
state-to-state, thus governments are also responsible for problems
created in bilateral relations by decisions made at parliaments,
which are indispensable parts of states," Apakan told Marco while
handing over the note.
The undersecretary of Argentina’s Justice Ministry attended a
demonstration in Buenos Aires last month to mark April 24. This
attendance and a series of accusatory statements against Turkey are
considered by Ankara "an attack to not only on Turkey’s history,
but also on the modern Turkish Republic."
"These facts also clearly showed us that anti-Turkey policy has gone
beyond the borders of the parliament and has been embraced by the
government as well. The hostile manner assumed insistently against
our country is an open evidence of the presence of a political dispute
between Argentina and Turkey — whatever its reason or justification
is," the same Turkish diplomat said.
–Boundary_(ID_qJXyvpKoLWoXcO6JV8RukA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
