PM HARPER CONDEMNS INTERFERENCE OF TURKISH GOVERNMENT IN CANADIAN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS
ArmInfo
2007-06-20 13:12:00
The Prime Minister of Canada Steven Harper emphasized that "Canada’s
recognition of the Armenian Genocide" is sometimes not easy "for
the foreign service of Canada" to accept. The Prime Minister made it
clear that the "ultimate position of the elected government is the
position of the Government of Canada."
Furthermore, in a response to NEPMCC President Tom Saras’ query about
the interference in Canadian internal affairs of representatives
of foreign governments and pressuring or coercion of Canadians and
Canadian organizations to follow certain policies, the Prime Minister
condemned such practices and said that he found it "unacceptable"
for these diplomats to pursue such interference. He reminded members
of the media that as head of "the Government of Canada I can not tell
you what write in your newspaper and foreign governments can not tell
what to write."
Mr. Saras’ query referred to a recent attempt by the Turkish Embassy
to silence Mr. Saras after his condemnation of the assassination of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. The Turkish Embassy launched a
vicious campaign to discredit Mr. Saras and called for his resignation
as NEPMCC president.