Armenian Genocide News

Swedish Parliament Recognizes the Genocide
By Peter Vinthagen Simpson

The Local

11 March 2010

Though the motion had the backing of members of five of the seven
Swedish parliamentary parties, the vote's outcome was uncertain to

the last as the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs had

recommended its rejection.

But with several centre-right politicians ignoring the recommendation

and choosing to vote with the opposition, the motion was eventually

passed by a single vote.Speaking to The Local prior to the vote, Left

Party foreign policy spokesperson Hans Linde expressed his view

that the time had come for Sweden to take a stand on the issue.
"Firstly, to hinder any repeat and to learn from history. Secondly, to

encourage the development of democracy in Turkey - which includes

dealing with their own history. Thirdly, to redress the wrongs

committed against the victims and their descendants," Linde said.

The foreign affairs committee, in its comments on the motion, had

argued for an open debate on the issue. It also stated that the

persecution of the Armenians and other ethnic groups in 1915 would

have constituted genocide according to the definition adopted by the

United Nations in its 1948 genocide convention if it "had it been in

force at the time."

But the committee stated that it does not consider it parliament's role

to rule on human rights issues and that this should instead be

addressed by "open research, open access to facts, and free debate."

Sweden's Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt agreed with the

committee's position in comments on his blog on Thursday. Under the

heading "Don't politicize history," Bildt wrote:
"A politicizing of history in this way risks undermining ongoing

reconciliation processes, plays into the hands of those opposing

normality in Armenia and reform in Turkey... and creating new tension

in Swedish society."

The committee concluded in its comments that the Turkish government

has in recent years made some movement on the issue, with conferences

arranged on the subject as well as broader media debate.
The Swedish parliament has voted on the issue before, even approving

a report in 2000 recognizing the disappearance of as many as 2.5 million

Armenians, Chaldeans, Syrians, Assyrians and Pontian Greeks from

April 1915 as genocide. But the recognition was later withdrawn "on a

technicality", Hans Linde told The Local.

"The parliament also voted against recognition (by 245 to 37) in 2008.

The difference this time is that the Social Democrats have changed

their position," he said.
Carl Bildt claimed in his statement that the Social Democrat parliamentary

group was forced to change standpoint on the issue as a result of a party

congress vote, arguing that there are "several that feel deep unease over

this."

According to Sweden's Living History Forum, most researchers are now

in agreement that the massacres constituted genocide according to the

accepted 1948 UN definition. The exception to this is Turkish researchers.

The Turkish government has never recognized the events as a genocide

and it is illegal in Turkey to claim that it occurred.

The Living History Forum is a Swedish public authority which works with

issues on tolerance, democracy and human rights from both a national

and international perspective.

The Local has made attempts to contact the foreign policy spokespersons

at the Centre and Liberal (Folkpartiet) parties for a comment.

Press release
Stockholm
March 11, 2010
The Swedish Parliament Recognized the 1915 Genocide

The Swedish Foreign Affairs Committee had proposed to reject the demand
for recognition of the 1915 genocide of Armenians,
Assyrians/Syrians/Chaldeans, and Pontic Greeks in Ottoman Turkey during
WWI. However, no Swedish party denied the reality of the genocide, but the
government coalition questioned whether this was an issue for historians
rather than politicians and that it was an issue which must be handled in
international judicial instances rather than parliaments. None of the
arguments was new for parties who wish to refrain from recognition.

The debate was long. It took almost five hours. At the end, the opposition
(Social Democrats, the Left, and the Greens) voted for recognition aided
by three MPs from the governing coalition who voted against their party
lines and one independent MP, bringing the votes to 131 against 130.
Annelie Enochson (Christian Democrat), Agneta Berliner and Gulan Avci
(both Liberals), argued that this is an issue of standing for the truth
and for justice, which was shy they could not follow their party lines
voting against the government.
There is no need to describe the joy of the Armenians,
Assyrians/Syrians/Chaldeans and the Pontic Greeks who were present in the
Parliament to follow the debate and the voting. Adult Armenians were
crying tears of joy. But, it is noteworthy that even if this was a joyful
moment for Armenians, it was even more historic for
Assyrians/Syrians/Chaldeans and the Pontic Greeks for whom the Swedish
recognition was the very first official recognition by a parliament.

Turkey’s reaction was to immediately recall its ambassador from Stockholm,
and many now wonder how this would affect the upcoming visit by the
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan who was expected to Sweden with a large
delegation during next week. The latest news indicate that Erdogan will
cancel his visit. Swedish newspapers also have reported that Turkish CHP
has urged the Turkish Government to freeze the reconciliation process with
Armenia as a result of the Swedish recognition. The Union of Armenian
Associations in Sweden regrets the Turkish diplomatic reactions and the
threats of hampering the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process. No
reconciliation process could be damage of recognizing the truth, nor could
the acceptance of the historic truth be reason to severe the Turkish
diplomatic relations with Sweden, maybe the foremost supporter of a
Turkish EU membership. Sweden supports the reform process within Turkey
and this recognition is no other than recognition of truth which will
hopefully help Turkey to open itself even more, confronting its past. The
recognition of the truth should not either harm a reconciliation process
between Armenia and Turkey, based on honesty and sincere friendship.

Vahagn Avedian
Secretary of Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden

BRITAIN NOT TO DISCUSS "ARMENIAN GENOCIDE"
news.az
March 10 2010
Azerbaijan

(note Azeri slant to this story)

The issue of "Armenian genocide" will not be discussed in Great
Britain.

"Great Britain and Turkey maintain friendly relations based on
economic, political and military interests.

For this reason, the issue of recognition of the "Armenian genocide"
will not be discussed in this country", said David Miller, British
diplomat and former British ambassador in Armenia, according to
AzerTaj.

The diplomat considers that the issue of recognition of the "Armenian
genocide" will never be included into the agenda of the government
and the parliament of Britain.

Miller said: "The most important is that Armenia cannot replace Turkey
and Azerbaijan that are the important strategic, economic and political
allies of Great Britain".

As for the processes ongoing in the region, the diplomat said Great
Britain is not interested in the resumption of war in the South
Caucasus and resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

TURKEY SIGNS OFF ON $1.6 BILLION DEAL WITH BOEING

DESPITE HOUSE VOTE
World Tribune
March 10 2010

WASHINGTON -- Turkey has approved the purchase of U.S. passenger jets
despite a House vote that blamed Ankara for the genocide of Armenians
during World War I.

The state-owned Turkish Airlines has concluded an order for 20
passenger jets from the U.S. firm Boeing. Under the $1.6 billion deal,
Turkish Airlines would receive 20 advanced 737 airplanes, including
10 737-800s and 10 737-900ER aircraft. The 737-900ER would mark the
latest 737 family member to join the Turkish fleet.

"The 737-800 is the backbone of the Turkish Airlines fleet and proves
its value on a daily basis offering unmatched levels of efficiency
and reliability," Boeing vice president Marlin Dailey said.

The March 8 statement came four days after the House Foreign Affairs
Committee voted to endorse a resolution on the Armenian genocide.

After the 23-22 vote, Ankara threatened to impose sanctions on
aerospace and defense cooperation with Washington.

Boeing has been a leading aerospace contractor in Turkey. The company
has been prime contractor in the supply of four airborne early-warning
aircraft to the Turkish Air Force.

Earlier, U.S. aerospace lobbyists warned that the House vote could
derail plans for major contracts in Turkey. They said Ankara was
expected to order $11 billion in defense and aerospace platforms from
the United States in 2010.

"Critical national security, economic and diplomatic relations with
our ally Turkey are threatened," Marion Blakey, president of the
Aerospace Industries Association, said.

But the Turkish lobby in the United States did not expect the Armenian
genocide resolution to win approval on the House floor. Lobbyists
pointed out that the non-binding resolution was passed in the House
Foreign Affairs Committee in 2000, 2005 and 2007, but blocked from
reaching the House floor through heavy pressure by the White House.

"The resolution has passed the panel vote with the narrowest
possible margin and has no political credibility [in Congress],"
American-Turkish Council president James Holmes, a former U.S.
ambassador, told the Turkish daily Hurriyet. "Those who were in favor
did so purely from a local political perspective."