CANADA MEANT NO SLIGHT OVER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE POSITION: OFFICIAL
Agence France Presse
April 22 2009
OTTAWA (AFP) — Canada said Wednesday its position that Armenians were
victims of genocide under the Ottoman Empire is "not an indictment
of modern Turkey," after Ankara recalled its envoy in protest.
"This is not an indictment of modern Turkey, nor is there a break in
our diplomatic relations," said a foreign ministry statement. "Turkey
is a democracy, we have good relations with Turkey, they are NATO
allies."
Turkey earlier recalled its envoy after Canadian ministers attended
commemorations ahead of April 24 when Armenians remember the massacres,
and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a letter of support.
The incident is the latest diplomatic spat between Ankara and Ottawa
over the issue since 2004 when Canada’s parliament recognised the
Armenian killings as genocide.
Much to Turkey’s ire, a number of countries have also endorsed Armenian
claims that up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed in what was
a genocide from 1915 to 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart.
Turkey rejects the genocide label and says 300,000-500,000 Armenians
and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians took
up arms in eastern Anatolia and sided with invading Russian troops.
Turkey’s foreign ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin told AFP that
third countries taking sides on the genocide dispute only undermines
reconciliation talks with Armenia.