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Khaleej Times, UAE
April 26 2009
Political meddling harms Turkey-Armenia dialogue: Turkish PM
(AFP)
26 April 2009
ANKARA - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Sunday
that politicising the dispute over the Ottoman-era mass killings of
Armenians threatened reconciliation efforts between Turkey and
Armenia.
He was speaking after Turkey branded as `unacceptable' US President
Barack Obama's message to commemorate the massacres and recalled its
envoy to Canada after Ottowa reaffirmed its position that the killings
constituted genocide.
`The constant use of such a sensitive historical issue as political
material and its exploitation by lobby groups prevents the
normalisation of ties betwen peoples and countries,' Erdogan said in a
televised speech.
`If countries which are not a party to this issue stop interfering, it
will facilitate a normalisation of ties, shed light on history and
prepare the ground for peace,' he added.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been
closed for more than a decade. Their relationship has been taken
hostage by deep differences over the massacres of Armenians under the
Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, the predecessor of Turkey.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people were killed in what
was a genocide by Ottoman Turks starting from 1915 as the empire fell
apart'a claim supported by several other countries much to Ankara's
ire.
Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that 300,000-500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided
with invading Russian troops.
Earlier this week, Ankara announced that it had agreed on a roadmap
with Armenia to normalise relations in reconciliation talks mediated
by Switzerland and held away from the public eye.
On Friday, Obama issued a written message to mark April 24, the date
on which Armenians remember the killings, in which he refrained from
using the word `genocide' despite a campaign promise to do so.
He instead used the Armenian term `Meds Yeghern' which has been
variously translated as `The Great Calamity' or `Great
Disaster'. Ankara retorted that the message represented an unbalanced
view of history that ignored the Turkish victims of the atrocities.
On Wednesday, Turkey also announced that it had summoned its
ambassador to Canada back for consultations after Canadian ministers
attended commemorations ahead of April 24 and Prime Minister Stephen
Harper issued a letter of support.
Canada said its position was `not an indictment of modern Turkey.'
April 26 2009
Political meddling harms Turkey-Armenia dialogue: Turkish PM
(AFP)
26 April 2009
ANKARA - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Sunday
that politicising the dispute over the Ottoman-era mass killings of
Armenians threatened reconciliation efforts between Turkey and
Armenia.
He was speaking after Turkey branded as `unacceptable' US President
Barack Obama's message to commemorate the massacres and recalled its
envoy to Canada after Ottowa reaffirmed its position that the killings
constituted genocide.
`The constant use of such a sensitive historical issue as political
material and its exploitation by lobby groups prevents the
normalisation of ties betwen peoples and countries,' Erdogan said in a
televised speech.
`If countries which are not a party to this issue stop interfering, it
will facilitate a normalisation of ties, shed light on history and
prepare the ground for peace,' he added.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been
closed for more than a decade. Their relationship has been taken
hostage by deep differences over the massacres of Armenians under the
Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, the predecessor of Turkey.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people were killed in what
was a genocide by Ottoman Turks starting from 1915 as the empire fell
apart'a claim supported by several other countries much to Ankara's
ire.
Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that 300,000-500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided
with invading Russian troops.
Earlier this week, Ankara announced that it had agreed on a roadmap
with Armenia to normalise relations in reconciliation talks mediated
by Switzerland and held away from the public eye.
On Friday, Obama issued a written message to mark April 24, the date
on which Armenians remember the killings, in which he refrained from
using the word `genocide' despite a campaign promise to do so.
He instead used the Armenian term `Meds Yeghern' which has been
variously translated as `The Great Calamity' or `Great
Disaster'. Ankara retorted that the message represented an unbalanced
view of history that ignored the Turkish victims of the atrocities.
On Wednesday, Turkey also announced that it had summoned its
ambassador to Canada back for consultations after Canadian ministers
attended commemorations ahead of April 24 and Prime Minister Stephen
Harper issued a letter of support.
Canada said its position was `not an indictment of modern Turkey.'