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CARL BILDT: SWEDEN DOESN'T RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
25.05.2009 12:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Sweden does not recognize that Turkey committed
genocide in 1915. It is the message which Foreign Minister Carl Bildt
gave in an answer to MP Cecilia Wikstrom (fp), Secretary of the Union
of Armenian Associations Vahagn Avedian told PanARMENIAN.Net.
"It is not the duty of politicians to decide the course of historic
events, regardless of their fact based grounds". So does Carl Bildt
write in an answer to the question written by Cecilia Wikstrom
regarding a recognition of the 1915 genocide.
Vahagn Avedian is upset about the reasoning of the Foreign Minister. He
means that politicians should be able to pass resolutions based
in research results and refers to the International Association of
Genocide Scholars, a league of renown genocide scholars, which in
several resolutions has acknowledged that a genocide took place in
1915. "Bildt should be reminded that genocide is not an academic
issue, but an international crime, punishable by the UN Convention
which Sweden has signed," he says.
In her question, Cecilia Wikstrom points out that the European
Parliament recognized the genocide in 1987 and enumerates a long list
of countries which have officially marked that they too recognize the
Armenian genocide. However, according to Bildt, a recognition could
lead to several problems than it solves, among others it would make
things difficult for groups who "want an open debate in the issue
regarding the 1915 events."
"That answer is entirely incomprehensible," says Vahagn Avedian. "I
do not know where he gets this from. We, the affected groups, are
totally unaware of the problems he talks about. I would in no way
feel threaten if Carl Bildt would recognize the truth, I would applaud
him. And how would the truth hurt a reconciliation process?"
According to Vahagn Avedian, Carld Bildt reasons exactly as Turkey
and acts as if a covering up of the reality will promote the
democratisation and the research in Turkey, which Avedian means is
entirely unreasonable. "It is not the duty of the Swedish Foreign
Minister to defend Turkey," he points out.
Carld Bildt writes also that the present-day Turkey can not be held
responsible to what happened then. But Vahagn Avedian points out
that it is not the genocide itself which is the current problem,
but its denial. As Varlden idag reported on Wednesday, the author
and the Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk risks yet another trial
because of his statement that there was a genocide committed in 1915
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
25.05.2009 12:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Sweden does not recognize that Turkey committed
genocide in 1915. It is the message which Foreign Minister Carl Bildt
gave in an answer to MP Cecilia Wikstrom (fp), Secretary of the Union
of Armenian Associations Vahagn Avedian told PanARMENIAN.Net.
"It is not the duty of politicians to decide the course of historic
events, regardless of their fact based grounds". So does Carl Bildt
write in an answer to the question written by Cecilia Wikstrom
regarding a recognition of the 1915 genocide.
Vahagn Avedian is upset about the reasoning of the Foreign Minister. He
means that politicians should be able to pass resolutions based
in research results and refers to the International Association of
Genocide Scholars, a league of renown genocide scholars, which in
several resolutions has acknowledged that a genocide took place in
1915. "Bildt should be reminded that genocide is not an academic
issue, but an international crime, punishable by the UN Convention
which Sweden has signed," he says.
In her question, Cecilia Wikstrom points out that the European
Parliament recognized the genocide in 1987 and enumerates a long list
of countries which have officially marked that they too recognize the
Armenian genocide. However, according to Bildt, a recognition could
lead to several problems than it solves, among others it would make
things difficult for groups who "want an open debate in the issue
regarding the 1915 events."
"That answer is entirely incomprehensible," says Vahagn Avedian. "I
do not know where he gets this from. We, the affected groups, are
totally unaware of the problems he talks about. I would in no way
feel threaten if Carl Bildt would recognize the truth, I would applaud
him. And how would the truth hurt a reconciliation process?"
According to Vahagn Avedian, Carld Bildt reasons exactly as Turkey
and acts as if a covering up of the reality will promote the
democratisation and the research in Turkey, which Avedian means is
entirely unreasonable. "It is not the duty of the Swedish Foreign
Minister to defend Turkey," he points out.
Carld Bildt writes also that the present-day Turkey can not be held
responsible to what happened then. But Vahagn Avedian points out
that it is not the genocide itself which is the current problem,
but its denial. As Varlden idag reported on Wednesday, the author
and the Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk risks yet another trial
because of his statement that there was a genocide committed in 1915