1 of 4 | Iranian-Armenian boys spend their time outside Saint Serkis Church during a demonstration marking the 94th anniversary of Turkish genocide of Armenian in Tehran, Iran on April 24, 2009. (UPI Photo/Mohammad Kheirkhah) |
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ANKARA, Turkey, March 15 (UPI) -- Ankara is watching lawmakers in London as they get set to deliberate over a national day of remembrance for the deaths of Armenians during the Ottoman era.
Turkey pulled its ambassador to Sweden last week after Swedish lawmakers narrowly approved a resolution describing the killing of Armenians in World War I as genocide. The Turkish envoy to Washington was recalled when a similar measure narrowly passed March 4 in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.
A measure is on its way to the British Parliament that if adopted would set aside an "Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day." British lawmakers are to review a draft of the measure this month.
Nilgun Canver, a council member in the London Borough of Haringey, told Turkey's English-language daily newspaper Hurriyet that there was "no chance" the measure would pass.
Ankara expressed similar optimism regarding the U.S. measure, citing a last ditch-appeal to shoot down the non-binding resolution by U.S. Security of State Hillary Clinton. The measure passed on a 23-22 vote.
Armenia wants Turkey to recognize the killings as genocide but Turkey has said there was no systematic attempt to wipe out the Christian Armenian people in 1915.
