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  • Tensions resurface in Swiss-Turkey relations

    Tensions resurface in Swiss-Turkey relations

    Swissinfo, Switzerland
    May 2 2005

    Turkey has criticised a decision by canton Zurich's justice authorities
    to investigate a Turkish historian for allegedly denying the 1915
    Armenian massacre.

    The move comes shortly after relations between the two countries -
    which had been dogged by the Armenian question - appeared to have
    stabilised.

    The row centres on comments made by Yusuf Halacoglu, the president
    of the Turkish History Organisation, a year ago in Winterthur, in
    canton Zurich.

    During the talk, given at the invitation of the Turkish community,
    the prominent historian is said to have denied that the killings of
    hundreds of thousands of Armenians was genocide.

    Armenians say around 1.8 million people were killed; Turkey disputes
    this, putting the figure closer to 200,000.

    Winterthur's investigating magistrate is now reported to be
    investigating Halacoglu over claims that he could have broken
    anti-racism legislation.

    Condemnation

    Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül told Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper
    on Monday that the decision by the canton of Zurich and some European
    parliaments to "forbid the rejection of the Armenian genocide" was a
    "terrible mistake".

    Gül added that Zurich's enquiry was also against the European
    Agreement on Human Rights and that Europe was "trampling on its own
    foundations" by stopping the freedom of expression.

    The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it had summoned the
    Swiss ambassador to Turkey, Walter Gyger, to explain the move. The
    Turkish embassy in the Swiss capital, Bern, has also protested to
    the Swiss government.

    It added, however, that Bern and Ankara were "closely collaborating"
    and that Switzerland had been cooperative over the matter.

    But a spokesman for the Swiss Justice Ministry denied that there had
    been a warrant issued for Halacoglu's arrest via Interpol, as was
    reported in some of the Turkish media.

    Winterthur's prosecuting magistrate Andrej Gnehm also said on Monday
    that he had asked Interpol to provide him with some information about
    the historian.

    He added that he would like to interview Halacoglu, which could also
    take the form of written replies, to decide whether to go further
    with the investigation - still at its early stages.

    Tensions

    The row comes at a time when relations between the two countries
    appeared to be calming down after a period that was marked by tensions
    over the Armenian question.

    First the canton of Vaud's parliament voted to recognise the Armenian
    genocide, leading to Ankara withdrawing an invitation for Swiss
    Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey to visit Turkey in September 2003.

    A similar vote on the Armenian matter by the House of Representatives
    three months later drew fresh condemnation from Turkey.

    Calmy-Rey finally made the trip to Ankara at the end of March this
    year, which resulted in the two countries agreeing to disagree over
    the Armenian issue.

    And last month the way was cleared for Switzerland to begin selling
    arms to Turkey for the first time since 1992 when it introduced tight
    restrictions on exports to the country.

    The Turkish government ended it embargo on Swiss arms on April 28,
    one month after Switzerland lifted its boycott.

    Key Facts

    - Armenians say 1.8 million of their people were killed or deported
    from 1915-18 by the Ottoman Empire. - Turkey disputes this, putting
    the figure closer to 200,000. - The treaty marking the birth of
    modern Turkey was signed in Lausanne on July 24, 1923.


    Photo: A giant poster shows the faces of 90 survivors of the Armenian
    killings of 1915 (Keystone Archive)

    --Boundary_(ID_Xa6lm1YR6oQHcvY/KQoQ8w)--
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