Egemen Bagis
Turkey was saddened and disappointed by the Swedish parliament's endorsement of a resolution in support of Armenian allegations regarding the tragic events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey's chief European Union negotiator has said.
"We are saddened and disappointed by this resolution. The Swedish parliament has bowed down to distorted history arguments which are far from reflecting the truth. Politicians should be looking to the future not to the past," Egemen Bagis said Friday when responding to a question.
The Swedish parliament on Thursday adopted 131 to 130 the resolution just days after a US House panel passed a similar bill, raising concerns that it could jeopardize a rapprochement process between Turkey and Armenia as the two had signed protocols to normalize relations and open their border.
"Turkey is ready to face up to its past and it needs no tribunals set by foreign parliaments to do that," Bagis said, recalling Turkey's proposal to put together a team of historians both from Turkey and Armenia as well as other countries to dig into the issue.
"It is unfortunate that the Armenian state and the Armenian diaspora had brushed aside our proposal, a well-meant initiative which had been even discarded by the international community," Bagis said.
Turk Net
Commentary