The Examiner, CA
June 20 2009
Official says Turkey called back its ambassador to Canada for
consultations
By: SUZAN FRASER (AP)
06/20/09 7:00 PM EDT ANKARA, TURKEY ‘ Turkey recalled its ambassador
to Canada, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, after government
ministers there reportedly took part in an event that labeled the
Ottoman-era killings of Armenians as genocide.
Ambassador Rafet Akgunay was called back for "thorough evaluations and
consultations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said,
without saying why Akgunay was recalled or for how long.
Another government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in
line with government rules, said the ambassador was being withdrawn
temporarily to protest an event earlier this week in Canada
commemorating the deaths of Armenians at the end of World War I as
genocide.
The official said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent a
message to the ceremony, which angered Turkey. Turkish news reports
said Canadian government officials took part in the event.
A spokeswoman for Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon
defended the country’s position.
"Canada’s position on the Armenian genocide is not an indictment of
modern Turkey, nor is Turkish Ambassador Rafet Akgunay’s temporary
return to Ankara for consultations, a break in our diplomatic
relations," Natalie Sarafian said in an e-mailed statement.
It is the second time that Turkey has recalled its ambassador to
Canada over the genocide dispute. In 2006, Turkey criticized Harper
for remarks he made in support of recognizing the mass killings as
genocide and briefly withdrew its ambassador. It also pulled out of a
military exercise in Canada in protest.
Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks ‘ an event widely viewed by genocide scholars as the
first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths
constituted genocide, contending the toll has been inflated and the
casualties were victims of civil war and unrest.
Lawmakers in the United States have also introduced a resolution that
would call the death genocide. If passed, the resolution could
undermine efforts by President Barack Obama’s administration to win
NATO ally Turkey’s help on key foreign policy goals.
U.S. legislators almost passed a similar resolution two years ago, but
congressional leaders did not bring it up for a vote after intense
pressure from the Bush administration.
Obama avoided the term "genocide" when he addressed Turkish lawmakers
during his visit a month ago. But he said, in response to a question,
that he had not changed his views. As a presidential candidate, Obama
said the killings amounted to genocide.
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