Turkey's ambassador to Paris returned to Ankara for consultations Friday, December 23, following a vote by the French parliament to ban the denial of the Armenian Genocide, an embassy spokesman said.
Tahsin Burcuoglu left from Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris with his wife on a 7.40am (0640 GMT) flight and is expected in the Turkish capital in the afternoon, spokesman Engin Solakoglu said, AFP reported.
Turkey's embassy in Paris will remain open during the ambassador's absence, he said. The recall of an ambassador is a diplomatic protest and is not seen as a complete breakdown in diplomatic relations.
On Thursday, before leaving, Burcuoglu had told a news conference France's ambassador in Turkey would not be asked to leave, although French officials said he was already on a pre-arranged holiday in any case.
"We are really very sad. Franco-Turkish relations did not deserve this," Burcuoglu said, blaming Paris for the row. "When there is a problem it always comes from the French side."
Thursday's vote in the National Assembly was the first step towards passing a law that would impose a jail term and a 45,000 euro fine on anyone in France who denies that the 1915 massacre of Armenians constitutes Genocide.
