AZG Armenian Daily #057, 01/04/2005

Armenian Genocide

SWITZERLAND CALLS FOR ANKARA TO STUDY STATEMENTS ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Switzerland officially met in 2001 for
the last time. The Turkish side refused to hold the meeting envisaged in the
October of 2003, as the Swiss Vaud Canton Parliament recognized the Armenian
Genocide. The Lower Hose of the Swiss Parliament also recognized the
Armenian Genocide in the December of the same year.

Turkish Daily News informed that Micheline Calmy Rey, Swiss foreign
minister, who recently visited Ankara met with Ahmed Sezer, Turkish
President, and Abdullah Gul, Turkish foreign minister. The Swiss foreign
minister called for Ankara to thoroughly study the statements about the
massacres of a million and 500 thousand of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
during the World War I.

“We believe it is very important that each country should make a very
profound historical investigation of its history, especially, when there is
such a painful issue,” Micheline Calmy Rey said after the meeting with
Abdullah Gul. Turkish foreign minister stated that the accusations of the
genocide are mere unacceptable statements made by the representatives of
Armenian Diaspora that try to spoil the relations of Turkey with other
countries.

Roberto Balzaretti, adviser of Swiss foreign minister, announced that it was
envisaged to discuss issues of human rights, the national minorities, as
well as the economic relations between the countries. He added that the
Swiss foreign minister will hardly discuss the issue of the Armenian
Genocide’s recognition.

Stefan Cristophsen, chairman of Switzerland-Armenia NGO, informed in the
interview to Tan newspaper that the main aim of the Swiss foreign minister’s
visit to Turkey is to make pressure over Turkey concerning the Armenian
Cause.

By Ruzan Poghosian