» 03/12/2010 13:43 TURKEY - SWEDEN Ankara recalls its ambassador from Sweden. Still problems over the Armenian genocide As already the case with the United States and Canada. Erdogan cancels a trip to Stockholm. The Armenian diaspora against diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey.
Ankara (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Turkey has recalled its ambassador from Sweden, after the Stockholm parliament voted by a narrow margin a resolution on the Armenian genocide. The Turkish government has denounced the resolution as "based on blunders and without any foundation". Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemned the action as "motivated by political calculations" and canceled a meeting between Turkey and Sweden to be held on 17 March.
Sweden is one of the strongest advocates of Ankara's entry into the EU. The resolution was passed by 131 votes to 130, with the votes of the opposition and that of some MPs of the ruling party.
Carl Bild, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the vote was "a mistake" and that does not change the position of his government, which remains in favour of Turkey in Europe.
A week ago a similar incident occurred in the United States, where the congressional committee passed a similar motion on the Armenian genocide and Turkey also recalled its ambassador from Washington. Last year, a similar incident happened with Canada. At the end of the Ottoman Empire (1915-17), hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed as they were deported from eastern Anatolia. Many also died of starvation.
Many historians and the Armenian people consider it as a planned genocide. According to other historians and Turkey, the killing of Armenians is just one of many cases of violence that occurred during the war. According to the Armenian, the genocide claimed the lives of 1.5 million people, according to Turkey the dead were probably 50 thousand, with many Turks.
Recently, Armenia and Turkey have prepared for a restart in diplomatic relations, but the Armenian Diaspora is strongly opposed to it until Ankara fully recognises the genocide.
