Ankara Sends Back its Ambassador to Sweden

Turkey is sending back the Ambassador to Sweden it had earlier recalled as a sort of backlash against a recent Swedish parliamentary decision to pass a resolution recognizing the genocide of Armenians, Assyrians and Chaldeans.

Citing anonymous diplomatic sources, Turkish daily Today’s Zaman writes that Zergun Korutürk will soon return to Stockholm and assume her ambassadorial responsibilities.

According to the same sources, Ankara decided to send back its ambassador after Swedish Prime Minnister Fredrik Reinfeldt expressed his dissatisfaction with and apologized for the resolution in a phone conversation with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, saying the resolution is a non-binding document which cannot be enforced by law.

According to the Turkish daily, Ankara accepted Reinfeldt’s statements as “compensation” for the parliament’s decision and said that the US should follow Sweden’s example.