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Anti Swedish protests continue in Turkey

TT/Tom Sullivan
TT/Tom Sullivan - [email protected]
Anti Swedish protests continue in Turkey

Diplomatic efforts are underway to mend a rift between Sweden and Turkey, caused by the Swedish parliament's decision to recognize the mass killing of Armenians and other ethnic groups in 1915 as genocide.

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The Swedish ambassador to Turkey, Christer Asp, said protests were still underway on Saturday in some cities, following large demonstrations outside the Swedish consulate in Istanbul on Friday.

He added that his post box was over flowing with hate mail and letters indicating Swedish business interests have been affected by the dispute.

"Some of the letters are formulated in such a way that I could not repeat them in public. They are not threats but they're not saying anything nice about Sweden, if you know what I mean," he told the news agency TT.

Swedish foreign minister, Carl Bildt, has condemned the parliament's vote.

"These kinds of decisions tend to increase tensions rather than reduce them," he told news agency Reuters.

Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has also assured his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he did not agree with the paliament's decision - which was supported by four parliamentarians who are members of his governing centre right coalition.

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