Eurasia Press & News
ANKARA, Turkey
The foreign ministry announced on Wednesday (April 22nd) it is temporarily recalling its ambassador to Canada, Rafet Akgunay, for consultations. An unnamed government official says the presence of Canadian government officials at a recent memorial service for Armenians that were murdered during the time of the Ottoman Empire spurred the move.
Local media reported that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent a message expressing his solidarity with organisers of the ceremony. In 2004, the Canadian parliament officially recognised the murder of Armenians in 1915 as genocide.
Meanwhile, Turkey and Armenia agreed on a “road map” Wednesday to normalise their long-strained relations. They reached the agreement during bilateral discussions mediated by Switzerland.
In a statement, the foreign ministry said the talks resulted in “concrete progress and mutual understanding”. Ankara has refused to establish diplomatic ties with Yerevan due to its international campaign to recognise the 1915-1917 killings of Armenians as genocide. In 1993, Turkey closed its border with Armenia in support of Azerbaijan, which is wrestling with Yerevan over the control of the Nagorny Karabakh region — an Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan’s territory.
