Reinfeldt welcomes Turkish ambassador
Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt welcomed Turkey's ambassador to Sweden, Zergün Korutürk, back to Stockholm on Thursday after her recall to Ankara following the Swedish parliament's recognition of the Armenian genocide.
Fredrik Reinfeldt "welcomes that she is coming back to Sweden. It's good that our diplomatic relations are (maintained)," the prime minister's spokesperson Roberta Alenius told AFP.
Ambassador Zergün Korutürk arrived in the Swedish capital on Tuesday. Before her departure, she told reporters in Ankara her return to Sweden became possible after the Swedish government distanced itself from the parliament's decision.
"The Swedish government has clearly said that the decision would not be put into practice," Korutürk was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying.
Korutürk was summoned back to Ankara on March 11th after the Swedish
parliament voted by a narrow margin a opposition-led resolution to recognise
the Ottoman massacres of Armenians during World War I as genocide, despite the
government's advice not to do so.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt later expressed regret over the parliament's decision to Ankara, a move which his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called "very positive".
Foreign Minister Carl Bildt also said that the position of his government, which supports Turkey's entry into the European Union, "remains unchanged".
"Our foreign minister also met his Turkish counterpart and he met some Turkish groups living here, so we've been involved in this," Alenius said.
"We had good relations with Turkey and want this to continue," she added.
Comments
See Also
Fredrik Reinfeldt "welcomes that she is coming back to Sweden. It's good that our diplomatic relations are (maintained)," the prime minister's spokesperson Roberta Alenius told AFP.
Ambassador Zergün Korutürk arrived in the Swedish capital on Tuesday. Before her departure, she told reporters in Ankara her return to Sweden became possible after the Swedish government distanced itself from the parliament's decision.
"The Swedish government has clearly said that the decision would not be put into practice," Korutürk was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying.
Korutürk was summoned back to Ankara on March 11th after the Swedish
parliament voted by a narrow margin a opposition-led resolution to recognise
the Ottoman massacres of Armenians during World War I as genocide, despite the
government's advice not to do so.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt later expressed regret over the parliament's decision to Ankara, a move which his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called "very positive".
Foreign Minister Carl Bildt also said that the position of his government, which supports Turkey's entry into the European Union, "remains unchanged".
"Our foreign minister also met his Turkish counterpart and he met some Turkish groups living here, so we've been involved in this," Alenius said.
"We had good relations with Turkey and want this to continue," she added.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.