The Armenian flag flies above the Armenian consulate building in this image from the organization's Facebook page

A planned stop in Fresno by a Turkish trade delegation has been halted.

According to a press release today from the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Fresno, State Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno), the Fresno County Economic Development Corp. (EDC), the Fresno County Farm Bureau and the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, the decision was made to cancel the visit, which was part of a larger tour of California.

“Out of respect to our local community, the upcoming event for Jan. 15 with an agriculturally-based Turkish delegation to Fresno has been cancelled,” the statement read.

The delegation was part of the West Mediterranean Exporters’ Association, also known as BAIB. The Fresno stop, which was set for Tuesday, would have included an industry reception and a meeting with the Chamber, the Farm Bureau and the EDC, according to a news release from Trelodex, an Irvine-based consulting firm.

Messages left for Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the Fresno County Farm Bureau and Lee Ann Eager, executive director of the EDC, were not immediately returned. A person answering a phone at the Fresno Chamber said Ahle confirmed the statement but declined to comment further.

According to Gurkan Suzer, founder and CEO of Trelodex, the cancellation was due to a scheduling issue.

Turkish and Armenian relations have been historically tense, with the Turkish government never officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide that took place during World War I that took the lives of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians.

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