Turkey Threatens To Expel Illegal Armenian Immigrants Following US, Swedish Resolutions
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to expel hundreds of thousands of illegal Armenian immigrants following the US and Swedish resolutions branding mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as “genocide.”
Much to the anguish of the Turkish Government, the US Foreign Affairs Committee and Sweden passed resolutions dubbing the Armenian killings during the Ottoman Empire genocide. This has anguished the Turkish prime minister to the extent that he has made a statement warning to expel the illegal Armenian workers in his country. According to the BBC Turkish service, he says the US and Swedish resolution has dented the peace efforts between his country and Armenia.
Of the total 170,000 Armenians in Turkey, about 100,000 are working illegally there. That according to Erdogan means only 70,000 are Turkish citizens, to which Erdogan says, “but we are tolerating the remaining 100,000. If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 to go back to their country because they are not my citizens. I don't have to keep them in my country. So what will I do tomorrow? If necessary, I will tell them 'come on, back to your country.'"
Several Armenian immigrants have been illegally staying in Turkey to eke out a living, as their impoverished country does not have anything to offer them. There are a number of those who had come after an earthquake struck their homeland in 1988.
Blasting the US and Swedish resolution, Erdogan said that the influential Armenian diaspora was to be blamed for the same.
BBC Turkish service further quotes him as saying, "We are extending our hand, but if our counterparts clench their hand into a fist, there will be nothing we can do. Those people make shows with those resolutions ... And they harm the Armenian people as well ... And things become deadlocked. Those actions [on genocide resolutions] unfortunately have a negative impact on our sincere attitudes."
Prior to the hiatus, Turkey and Armenia had signed an agreement in October to step up diplomatic efforts to ameliorate ties. They had even decided to open borders. Now both countries are blaming each other of not respecting the commitment.
Turkey has even recalled its ambassadors from the United States and Sweden, showing how bitter the relations have become. It is feared that reconciliation efforts between Turkey and Armenia will receive a setback following the recent development.
The blame game has again begun – with Armenia complaining that about 1.5 million of Armenians were massacred in an extermination campaign during World War I, Turkey maintains that between 300,000 and 500,000 Armenians and an equal number of Turks were killed in the civil strife following the fall of the Ottoman Empire and invasion of the Soviet forces.
