KEMAL CICEK: NO TURKISH GOVERNMENT WILL EVER ACKNOWLEDGE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Pan Armenian News
21.04.2005 04:16

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Head of the Department on Armenia of the Turkish
Historical Organization Kemal Cicek considers the proposal of Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to form a joint Armenian-Turkish
commission for studying facts on the Armenian Genocide a unique
one. “Turkey makes such a proposal at the state level for the first
time,” he noted, Regnum news agency reported. In his words, the
unique nature of Erdogan’s proposal also lies in Turkey’s readiness
to accept the outcomes of the work of the commission irrespective of
the conclusion it arrives at. “I hope the Armenian party will accept
the proposal. It is does not, it will be a serious loss from the
point of view of the Armenian-Turkish relations. When the issue of
the so-called genocide was being raised in international structures,
Turkey did not have an opportunity or did not hold a propaganda to
express its stand. This group presents the stand of the Turkish party
both to historians and the international community,” he noted. In
his words, Armenians should understand that no Turkish government
will ever recognize the Armenian Genocide. Even if the EU poses the
issue of acknowledgement of the Genocide and opening of the borders
as a precondition for Turkey’s accession to that organization, Ankara
will not recognize it and will sacrifice accession to the EU.” It
should be noted that Cicek is in Yerevan to cover events on the 90-th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In his words, in an interview
with him “Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margarian reported the
preconditions the Armenian party puts forward to establish relations,
as well as Nagorno Karabakh FM Arman Melikain stated that the NK
has never declared independence.” Meanwhile, the stand of official
Yerevan, as stated by the President, comes to Armenia being ready
to dialogue without any precondition. The independence of Nagorno
Karabakh was declared upon the holding of a referendum, though not
recognized by the international community. One can only guess at
what materials Cicek will present for the judgement of the Turkish
society upon leaving Yerevan. As of Erdogan’s proposal to form a
joint commission for studying the fact of the Armenian Genocide, the
Armenian party does not think it is expedient and states that the fact
of the Genocide is unquestionable and does not need further research,
while other questions need to be discussed.