Zaman, Turkey
April 27 2005

No ‘Genocide’ Word Spoken at Partnership Council
By Selcuk Gultasli
Published: Wednesday 27, 2005
zaman.com

Despite the attempts from France, the so-called Armenian “genocide”
did not come to the agenda at the 44th session of the Turkey-European
Union (EU) Partnership Council meeting on Tuesday, April 26.

At the EU Foreign Ministers meeting on April 25, French Foreign
Minister Michel Barnier requested the so-called Armenian “genocide”
come to order at the Partnership Council meeting. However, the
Armenian issue was discussed at a breakfast attended by Turkish
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, EU Term President Luxembourg’s Foreign
Minister Jean Asselborn, and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli
Rehn. Asselborn reportedly said they found Turkey’s proposal to form
a joint commission positively and the EU Commission do not use the
word “genocide”. Providing detailed information about Ottoman
History, Gul explained why the so-called genocide allegations are
fictitious. “Do not insult the pride of the nations,” stressed Gul
referring to the issue that it is being used as petty political
gestures. He called attention to the Azeri and Nagarno-Karabakh land
that was occupied by the Armenians and the one million Azeris that
now fell into immigrant status.