Armenian group calls on EU to pressure Turkey into recognizing genocide

Agence France Presse — English
April 21, 2005 Thursday

BRUSSELS April 21 — The European Armenian Foundation called Thursday
on EU institutions to put pressure on Ankara to admit that it committed
genocide against Armenians.

The European Commission and the European Council governments “cannot
ignore anymore the continued calls of national parliaments and the
European Parliament … to demand that Turkey recognize the genocide,”
said Hilda Tchoboian, head of the European Armenian Federation.

Armenia marks on Sunday the 90th anniversary of mass killings in the
Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of modern Turkey, which Armenia and
many other countries consider to have been genocide but which Turkey
denies ever took place.

“The European Armenian Federation considers that this anniversary,
falling on the actual year set for the opening of negotiations with
Turkey, must mark a turning point in the priority given to the genocide
issue by the European executive in its relations with Turkey,” the
group said in a statement.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen perished in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire,
was falling apart.

Ankara counters that 300,000 Armenians and thousands of Turks were
killed in “civil strife” during World War I when the Armenians rose
against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian troops.

The EU is to open accession negotiations with Turkey on October 3.