09 May 2006 - Following separate warnings issued to Canada and France that recent developments in the two countries concerning their recognition of an alleged Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire last century could harm bilateral relations, Turkey has revokes its ambassadors from Paris and Ottawa for “a short time” for consultations over “baseless allegations” made about the alleged genocide. As the most recent diplomatic move revealing Ankara's anger against the two countries, Foreign Ministry spokesman Namık Tan officially announced yesterday that Ambassador Osman Korutürk had been recalled from the French capital and Ambassador Aydemir Erman from Ottawa “for a short time for consultations” on the latest developments. “We foresee that our ambassadors will return to their duties after the consultations,” Tan noted.
Remarks made by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in support of recognizing the mass killings of Armenians during World War I as genocide have recently sparked harsh reaction from Ankara, which imminently warned such statements threatened to harm Turkish-Canadian relations. As for France, Turkey warned last week that bilateral ties could suffer if the French Parliament adopts a bill that would criminalize any denial of the alleged Armenian genocide.
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