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ISTANBUL: PM skips Argentina leg after Armenian circles' move

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  • ISTANBUL: PM skips Argentina leg after Armenian circles' move

    Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
    May 30 2010

    PM skips Argentina leg after Armenian circles' move

    Sunday, May 30, 2010
    ANKARA ` Hürriyet Daily News


    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an will not visit Argentina after
    Buenos Aires canceled its inauguration of the bust of Mustafa Kemal
    Atatürk as a result of Armenian efforts, the Turkish Foreign Ministry
    said Sunday.

    ErdoÄ?an was scheduled to visit Argentina on Sunday and Monday to
    participate in the Argentine-Turkish Business Forum and hold bilateral
    talks with government officials. But a crisis broke out when the
    Armenian government remained silent in the face of Armenian lobbying
    groups' attempts to cause the cancelation of the inauguration of the
    bust of Atatürk, Turkey's founder, in the capital Buenos Aires.

    Written permission given earlier by Buenos Aires' Environment and
    Public Space Ministry was canceled after the efforts of Armenian
    circles, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a written statement.

    Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu held talks with his Argentine
    counterpart on the sidelines of the third forum of the U.N.-led
    Alliance of Civilizations, which took place in Rio de Janeiro over the
    weekend. He demanded the Argentine government fulfill their commitment
    to the Turkish side, said the ministry.

    Following the incident, Argentina's president Cristina Fernández de
    Kirchner phoned ErdoÄ?an, recognizing Turkey's claim but notifying that
    she cannot override the authority given to the autonomous Buenos Aires
    administration under the Argentine constitution, the Turkish Foreign
    Ministry said. In return, ErdoÄ?an said such an attitude was
    unacceptable and canceled his visit.

    `Turkey has been exerting efforts to establish close ties with
    Argentina as part of a quest to improve relations with Latin American
    countries,' said the Foreign Ministry in the statement. `Argentine
    authorities are expected to take necessary steps as soon as possible
    to make up for the shadow dropped on Turkish-Argentine relations due
    to the wrong decision made by the autonomous Buenos Aires city, which
    was manipulated by circles hostile to Turkey,' the statement said.

    PKK attacks changed PM's program

    As well as skipping Argentina, ErdoÄ?an canceled two activities in
    Brazil after the latest attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers'
    Party, or PKK, that killed five soldiers, a village guard and a
    private security guard on Saturday, the daily Hürriyet reported.

    He had been scheduled to attend an exhibition on Ottoman perspectives
    on the world and watch a football match between Flamengo and Gremio.

    His Latin America tour continues with a visit to Chile.




    From: A. Papazian
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