Turkish deputies demand deportation of Armenian citizens

Tuesday, 16 March 2010 12:30

"Turkey is not a country that can be spoken with in a language of pressure."

The Turkish parliamentary commission on foreign relations listened to Turkish FM Ahmed Davutoglu and Turkish ambassadors in the United States and Sweden Namik Tan and Zergun Koruturk about the recognition of the so-called “Armenian genocide” by the parliaments of some countries on March 15.

During the debates, the deputies demanded from the government to show a stiffer response to such resolutions. They urged to deport Armenian citizens illegally residing in Turkey and close the US military base in Incirlik.
“Turkey has granted Armenians the right to live illegally as it understands that the situation in Armenia is grave. In addition, if we take this step, what will the West think about us? Western mass media will immediately start a campaign against Turkey saying Ankara is deporting Armenians. This would place us in a very difficult situation”, Davutoglu said.

As for the signed protocols, he noted that Ankara does not intend to withdraw them from the parliament: “Everything is good in its time. We should not take the decisions that may further harm our interests. But we will protect our national interests more energetically and let everyone know about it. Turkey is not a country that can be spoken with in a language of pressure. We will use these protocols as a tool”, Sabah newspaper quotes him as saying.

Davutoglu also stressed the need to take into account the further possibility of such development and raise influence on the parliaments of other countries.