ANKARA: Turkey on Friday summoned the Dutch charge d鈥檃ffaires to condemn the vote by lawmakers in the Netherlands to recognize as 鈥済enocide鈥� the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire.
The Dutch diplomat was called to the Foreign Ministry in Ankara, which 鈥渃ondemned鈥� the Parliament鈥檚 vote, a ministry official told AFP. Thursday鈥檚 vote saw MPs voting 142 to 3 in favor of the proposal that the Parliament refer to the massacre as 鈥渢he Armenian genocide.鈥�
Armenians have long sought recognition that some 1.5 million of their people were killed in a genocidal campaign in World War I by Ottoman forces 鈥� ordered by Minister of War Enver Pasha and other top officials 鈥� to wipe them out in Anatolia.
But Turkey 鈥� the Ottoman Empire鈥檚 successor state 鈥� insists similar numbers of Muslims and Armenians were killed in a collective tragedy during the conflict and has always strongly resisted pressure to recognize that any genocide took place.
Acting Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag quickly tempered the motion, saying even though the ruling four-party coalition voted for the motion, the government will 鈥渞estrain鈥� itself.
Ankara 鈥渟trongly鈥� condemned the move, with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday noting the 鈥減opulist鈥� decision was 鈥渘ot binding in any way鈥� and saying it was a reflection of the increasing 鈥渞acism, anti-Turkish sentiment and Islamophobia鈥� in Europe.
Cavusoglu said the decision was 鈥渧ery, very wrong鈥� and based on 鈥渓imited information.鈥�
Turkey鈥檚 EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik also condemned the decision, describing it as 鈥渘ull and void鈥� but adding, like Cavusoglu, that Ankara 鈥渢ook note鈥� of the Dutch government鈥檚 position.
But Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian welcomed the vote, saying Friday that the Dutch Parliament had 鈥測et again reiterated its commitment to universal values and the noble task of preventing from happening genocides and crimes against humanity.鈥�
So far, parliaments in more than 20 countries, including Germany, have voted for laws or resolutions explicitly recognizing the Armenian 鈥済enocide.鈥�
The vote comes at a low point in diplomatic ties between the Netherlands and Turkey after a Dutch decision earlier this month to withdraw its ambassador.
Relations have been strained since early last year when Dutch officials stopped a Turkish minister from attending a Rotterdam rally in March. The Dutch ambassador had not had access to Turkey since March 2017.
Turkey raps Dutch diplomat over Armenian 鈥榞enocide鈥� vote
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