
Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Sweden after its parliament narrowly voted to describe the killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War One as genocide.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister "strongly" condemned Thursday's vote, which comes only a week after Ankara recalled its envoy to the US over a similar resolution.
"Our people and our government reject this decision based upon major errors and without foundation,"Erdogan said, adding that he was cancelling a Turkey-Sweden summit scheduled next week.
Turkey, which accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks, rejects that up to 1.5 million died and that it amounted to genocide - a term employed by many Western historians.
The Swedish resolution passed by an extremely narrow margin, with 131 parliamentarians voting in favour and 130 against, and 88 members staying away.
'Major blow'
The measure was opposed by Sweden's centre-right coalition government, but three of their parliamentarians voted in favour of the motion, helping the opposition to get it through.
Zergun Koruturk, Turkey's ambassador to Stockholm, said the vote had delivered a major blow to "excellent ties", which she said were advancing towards a strategic partnership.
"It will not be easy to repair the damage," she said before returning to Turkey on Friday.
Carl Bildt, the Swedish foreign minister, said it was a "mistake to politicise history" and vowed that the government's position remains unchanged.
Sweden is among the few countries which openly support Turkey's troubled bid to join the European Union.
The Scandinavian nation's vote came a week after a key US Congressional panel approved a similar resolution, prompting Ankara to recall its ambassador.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed in a systematic campaign of extermination during World War I as the Ottoman Empire, Turkey's predecessor, fell apart.
Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label and says the number of those killed in what was civil strife during wartime is grossly inflated.
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2010-03-18 17:18:53 |88.239.232.xxx| zubeyde - the aim is to corner Turkey to ratify the protocol
I
Just as almost every year, Armenian propaganda and the initiatives of the Armenian lobby have gained momentum to pressure upon the US President over the speech he will deliver on April 24.
Every year prior to April 24, the Armenian lobby increases pressure upon the US President over the speech he will deliver. But the difference now compared to the previous years is that the aim of the considered resolution by the Foreign Affairs Commission is to corner Turkey into ratifying the protocols. The same is valid for the Sweden parliement’s decision.
However, they are the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia’s decisions which have brought the process to point of zero. Because:
The court stated that the protocols can not be interpreted or applied in a way that would contradict paragraph 11 of Armenian Declaration of Independence.
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2010-03-18 17:20:58 |88.239.232.xxx| zubeyde - the aim is to corner Turkey to ratify the protocol
II
Article 11 of the Armenian Declaration of Independence of August 23, 1990 refers to Eastern Anatolia of Turkey as Western Armenia and as such beholds that this area is part of Armenia.
Since the Armenian constitution recognizes as a basis “the fundamental principles of the Armenian statehood in the Declaration of Independence of Armenia”, it likewise accepts the characterization of Eastern Anatolia as Western Armenia and this, albeit indirectly, translates into the advancement of territorial claims.
Additionally paragraph 11 also states that The Republic of Armenia stands in support of the task of achieving international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia.
This means that:
1) Since genocide is accepted as a reality fort he Armenians, it will not be possible to discuss whether the 1915 events are genocide or not in the Sub-commission on the Historical Dimension mentioned in the Second Protocol. Therefore, the question arises of what this Sub-commission’s task will be.
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2010-03-18 17:21:43 |88.239.232.xxx| zubeyde
III
In response, it has been expressed that its task will include the discussion of issues like returning back of Armenian properties left behind after the Armenian relocation, giving compensation to descendants of the relocated Armenians, and preserving Armenian monuments, such as churches, in Turkey. Turkey is not willing to re-examine these issues which have already been resolved with the Treaty of Lausanne.
2) By putting forth that some of the Turkish lands are in fact Armenian, Armenia indirectly claims a right over these territories. In other words, again indirectly, it does not recognize the border between the two countries.
I want to remind you that The main trigger to force USA to join WWI was the letter sent by German Foreign Minister Zimmerman to Mexico expressing support to Mexico to get back the Mexican states Arizona, Texas which had just been annexed by the USA.
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2010-03-18 17:22:35 |88.239.232.xxx| zubeyde
IV
Germany's claim on Zudetland and Gdansk just because they were its historical lands caused burst of World War II! The Worls history is a history of wars which broke up because of territorial claims of states.
While territorial claims are so important to be reasons of war, it is not possible to understand the indifference of the USA to the Armenian claims as an ally and of Sweden as a developed European country. Armenia, the US and Sweden have a false conviction that under such a pressure, Turkey will be forced to ratify the protocols.Adoption of the resolutions in the House of Representatives and the Sweden Parliament clearly will damage the US-Turkey and Sweden-Turkey relations. Whether it is brought to the House Floor does not change the negative feelings of the Turks against the American politicians including the president.
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2010-03-18 17:23:03 |88.239.232.xxx| zubeyde
V
This will also push Turkey-Armenia relations which have already reached a deadlock to enter into an irreversible path and will harm the normalization process. Rejection of the protocols by Turkey can even be possible.
This situation could harm Turkey, but will also harm the US, Sweden and hinder the Turkey-Armenia relations.
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Armen Garo, the Dashnak leader wrote in his book "Why Armenia Should be Free" published in 1918 Boston, that 200,000 Armenians fought against the Turkish soldiers on the side of invading Russian armies in Eastern Anatolia during World War I 1914-1918 (the same year and location). American Counselor Jackson wrote to Ambassador Morgenthau that 550,000 Armenian "emigrees" were safe and alive where they were settled in the southern states of the Ottoman Empire away from the war zone. They were receiving aid from the US Near East Relief Foundation with the permission of the Ottoman Empire in 1916.
When there were only 1.3 million Armenians living in Eastern Anatolia in 1914, you do the math. It is not a coincidence that Turkish army started to win against the Russian invading forces after the Dashnak sympathizers were moved out of the war zone.
Parliaments of third countries voting in favor have no knowledge of TRUTH. They are fools to pass a verdict on 95 years old historical events based on one sided stories.