ANKARA (AFP) - Sweden's prime minister has called his Turkish counterpart to distance himself from a parliament move branding the massacres of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide, Ankara said Sunday.

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• Turkey fury over Sweden's 'genocide' vote
• Sweden calls mass killing of Armenians genocide

Sweden's Frederik Reinfeldt called Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday evening to voice "his sadness and say that his government absolutely did not share the decision," Erdogan's office said in a statement.

Blaming the vote on "domestic politics," Reinfeldt said his government was "ready to do the necessary so that this unfounded decision does not harm bilateral relations," according to the text.

The Swedish prime minister also assured Erdogan that the parliament's move did not weaken Stockholm's support of Turkey's EU accession ambitions.

Going against the government's advice, the Swedish parliament voted by a narrow margin on Thursday to recognise the "genocide of Armenians" during the breakup of the Ottoman Empire.

Ankara quickly recalled its ambassador and cancelled a visit by Erdogan to Sweden after the vote, which came just days after a similar move by a US Congressional panel.

In remarks to Sweden's TT news agency, Reinfeldt said that he had expressed to his Turkish counterpart "regrets following the parliament's decision because it politicises history."

According to the Turkish statement, Erdogan "strongly insisted on the disappointment" felt in Turkey over the vote, while recognising that the government was against it.

He also called for "measures to repair the situation."

Last Updated (Sunday, 14 March 2010 19:06)

 

Comments 

 
#13 2010-03-21 15:42
How shameful of Reifeldt. Political and financial interests do not justify denying historical facts. He can count on one less vote this time.
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#12 2010-03-15 18:52
Why is the Swedish PM apologizing for acknowledging a Genocide? How absurd? Kudos to the Swedish Parliament for doing the right thing without fear. The Swedish PM is just another gutless politician afraid of his own shadow. His viking ancestors would be ashamed of him.
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#11 2010-03-15 18:22
so-called Mark who cant spell therefore is probably an uneducated ultra nationalist Turk. The Genocide of the Armenians is a fact which our own founder Ataturk accepted.

Accept the past and lets move on
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#10 2010-03-15 04:13
I wonder where is the apology of Europe to what it did to other nations around the world especially Britain? There are a lot of genocide under their hands.
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#9 2010-03-15 03:21
They did wipe out a ton of people(the exact number can be argued.) The people were all of the same persuasion. Isn't that the definition of genocide??? Of course historical revisionist of the Carl Rove ilk can always claim it never happened, until enough fools believe them, and then Guess What!!! It never happened!!
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#8 2010-03-15 02:36
I think one can apologize for putting some economic and political relations above memories of 1.5 million innocent people, but not for recognition of historic facts.
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#7 2010-03-15 02:01
Reinfeldt doesn't care about losing business with Iran due to pressure from Zionist lobby but when it comes to FACTUAL HISTORY of Armenian Genocide he turns into a coward?
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#6 2010-03-15 00:39
Sweden and its business will suffer in Turkey we will make sure of that
and please don't pull that card you support Turks to join EU, Turks do not want to join EU we do not want to be called PIIGS like portugal,Italy, Iraland,Greece and Spain

go to hell with EU and Sweden
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#5 2010-03-15 00:36
Sewden has no business of been a Judge Jury and exacutioner, this armenian so called killing is total lie, armenians some got killed when they were cought red handed killing the innocent Turkish women and children and the old while their husbands brothers in front lines fighting the invaders, we Turks will boycott everything is swedish form now on
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#4 2010-03-14 23:14
Shame on the Swedish Prime Minister for denying the fact of the Armenian Genocide. Swedes clearly do not deserve such a "leader."
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