Athens News Agency, Greece
April 13, 2005

OPEN DISCUSSION ON DISPUTED 1915 SLAUGHTER OF ARMENIANS HELD ON
SIDELINES OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

STRASBOURG (ANA – O. Tsipira) An open discussion on the large-scale
killings of Armenians in Turkey in 1915, which are disputed by
Turkey, was held on the sidelines of the European Parliament assembly
for the first time on Wednesday

Entitled “The Future of the Past: Armenians in Turkey”, the
discussion did not make any direct reference to an Armenian genocide
as such, but the entire discussion revolved around this issue

The discussion was an initiative of the Green group and was led by
the German Green party MEP Cem Ozdemir, who is of Turkish descent

Guest speakers included Turkish intellectuals of Armenian descent,
such as Dr

Taner Akcam from Minnesota University, who presented evidence from
the study of Ottoman records that he claimed supported the view of
genocide

Other speakers were journalist Etyen Mahcupyan, a columnist for the
Istanbul daily ‘Zaman’, and Hrant Dink, chief editor of the
bi-lingual Turkish-Armenian Istanbul weekly ‘Agos’

Armenian expatriates throughout the world are campaigning to make it
a condition of Turkey’s accession to the European Union that it first
recognise the Armenian genocide of 1915

Organisers were criticised, particularly by Turkish journalists that
attended the discussion, for failing to present the counter-arguments
to the Armenian side and promised to arrange a new discussion that
would present the views of both sides.