A widening rift is developing between the Swedish and Turkish governments in the wake of the Swedish parliament’s decision to recognise the 1915 mass killings of ethnic groups including Armenians as genocide.
In Turkey, Christer Asp, the Swedish Ambassador, confirmed that protests had continued over the weekend in several cities, which followed the large demonstration that took place outside of the Swedish consulate last Friday in Istanbul. Asp added that he had been inundated with hate mail from concerned parties inside both countries, which question the continuance of Swedish business interests in Turkey and the Middle East.
“Some of the letters are formulated in such a way that I could not repeat them in public. They are not threats but they’re not saying anything nice about Sweden, if you know what I mean,” Asp told reporters. The Local has also reported that Carl Bildt, the Swedish foreign minister, has publicly condemned the parliamentary vote. “These kinds of decisions tend to increase tensions rather than reduce them,” he said.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt had earlier given Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Turkish counterpart, an assurance that he was not in support of the decision. Reinfeldt contacted Erdogan last Saturday in an attempt to distance himself from the decision, which officially recognised the mass killings by Ottoman Turks of Armenians as genocide.
Reinfeldt blamed “domestic politics” for the decision and claimed that he was “ready to do the necessary so that this unfounded decision does not harm bilateral relations”. The Swedish parliament defied government advice to recognise the genocide of Armenians and other groups following the disbanding of the Ottoman Empire.
Boo-hoo, Turkey is angry at us? cry me a river. when you commit a genocide and on top of it deny that proven fact, they’re not really the sort of country we want as friends anyway. Why is it such a big deal for them to admit it even? Are they afraid they’ll be sued? It’s been almost 100 years.. I’m sure that of those people still alive that experienced it, both people are probably ready to just let bygones be bygones if they only get an official apology. Anyway if they cut ties with us it’s not gonna make a difference to us, our country wont collapse into chaos over a shortage of low class holidays in Alanya or shabby turkish carpets.
Niels, it looks more like something happened when he was posting and his comments got posted twice. The moderator should had realized it before letting the comments through.
I bet it will get fixed soon.
Peace on the earth and Glory in Heaven, Amen
Shalom
@Moderator,
Why do you allow professional spammers to fill this thread?
[…] Swedish conflict with Turkey worsens following genocide classification | IceNews – Daily News […]
III
Germany’s claim on Zudetland and Gdansk just because they were its historical lands caused burst of World War II! The Worls history is a history of wars which broke up because of territorial claims of states.
While territorial claims are so important to be reasons of war, it is not possible to understand the indifference of the USA to the Armenian claims as an ally and of Sweden as a developed European country. Armenia, the US and Sweden have a false conviction that under such a pressure, Turkey will be forced to ratify the protocols.
Adoption of the resolutions in the House of Representatives and the Sweden Parliament clearly will damage the US-Turkey and Sweden-Turkey relations. Whether it is brought to the House Floor does not change the negative feelings of the Turks against the American politicians including the president.
This will also push Turkey-Armenia relations which have already reached a deadlock to enter into an irreversible path and will harm the normalization process. Rejection of the protocols by Turkey can even be possible.
This situation could harm Turkey, but will also harm the US, Sweden and hinder the Turkey-Armenia relations.
This means that:
1) Since genocide is accepted as a reality fort he Armenians, it will not be possible to discuss whether the 1915 events are genocide or not in the Sub-commission on the Historical Dimension mentioned in the Second Protocol. Therefore, the question arises of what this Sub-commission’s task will be.
In response, it has been expressed that its task will include the discussion of issues like returning back of Armenian properties left behind after the Armenian relocation, giving compensation to descendants of the relocated Armenians, and preserving Armenian monuments, such as churches, in Turkey. Turkey is not willing to re-examine these issues which have already been resolved with the Treaty of Lausanne.
2) By putting forth that some of the Turkish lands are in fact Armenian, Armenia indirectly claims a right over these territories. In other words, again indirectly, it does not recognize the border between the two countries.
I want to remind you that The main trigger to force USA to join WWI was the letter sent by German Foreign Minister Zimmerman to Mexico expressing support to Mexico to get back the Mexican states Arizona, Texas which had just been annexed by the USA.
This means that:
1) Since genocide is accepted as a reality fort he Armenians, it will not be possible to discuss whether the 1915 events are genocide or not in the Sub-commission on the Historical Dimension mentioned in the Second Protocol. Therefore, the question arises of what this Sub-commission’s task will be.
In response, it has been expressed that its task will include the discussion of issues like returning back of Armenian properties left behind after the Armenian relocation, giving compensation to descendants of the relocated Armenians, and preserving Armenian monuments, such as churches, in Turkey. Turkey is not willing to re-examine these issues which have already been resolved with the Treaty of Lausanne.
2) By putting forth that some of the Turkish lands are in fact Armenian, Armenia indirectly claims a right over these territories. In other words, again indirectly, it does not recognize the border between the two countries.
I want to remind you that The main trigger to force USA to join WWI was the letter sent by German Foreign Minister Zimmerman to Mexico expressing support to Mexico to get back the Mexican states Arizona, Texas which had just been annexed by the USA.
Germany’s claim on Zudetland and Gdansk just because they were its historical lands caused burst of World War II! The Worls history is a history of wars which broke up because of territorial claims of states.
While territorial claims are so important to be reasons of war, it is not possible to understand the indifference of the USA to the Armenian claims as an ally and of Sweden as a developed European country. Armenia, the US and Sweden have a false conviction that under such a pressure, Turkey will be forced to ratify the protocols.
Adoption of the resolutions in the House of Representatives and the Sweden Parliament clearly will damage the US-Turkey and Sweden-Turkey relations.
I
Just as almost every year, Armenian propaganda and the initiatives of the Armenian lobby have gained momentum to pressure upon the US President over the speech he will deliver on April 24.
Every year prior to April 24, the Armenian lobby increases pressure upon the US President over the speech he will deliver. But the difference now compared to the previous years is that the aim of the considered resolution by the Foreign Affairs Commission is to corner Turkey into ratifying the protocols. The same is valid for the Sweden parliement’s decision.
However, they are the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia’s decisions which have brought the process to point of zero. Because:
The court stated that the protocols can not be interpreted or applied in a way that would contradict paragraph 11 of Armenian Declaration of Independence.
Article 11 of the Armenian Declaration of Independence of August 23, 1990 refers to Eastern Anatolia of Turkey as Western Armenia and as such beholds that this area is part of Armenia.
Since the Armenian constitution recognizes as a basis “the fundamental principles of the Armenian statehood in the Declaration of Independence of Armenia”, it likewise accepts the characterization of Eastern Anatolia as Western Armenia and this, albeit indirectly, translates into the advancement of territorial claims.
Additionally paragraph 11 also states that The Republic of Armenia stands in support of the task of achieving international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia.
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