Pan Armenian News

GERMAN MEDIA: TURKEY FEARS ARMENIAN ISSUE TO PUT OBSTACLES IN WAY TO EU

29.04.2005 04:10

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `A chance to normalize the Turkish-Armenian relations was
missed again’, OÖN/Nachrichten online newspaper reported. Despite the fact
that the 90-th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey was an
occasion to normalize the Armenian-Turkish relations, the reconciliation
failed. Turkey offered Armenia to form a joint historic commission, however
Armenian President Robert Kocharian proposed to normalize relations first,
what was rejected by Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At the same time the
international community exerts pressure upon Turkey urging it to acknowledge
the Armenian Genocide. Turkey’s position on the Armenian Genocide
complicates relations with Armenia. Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc
rejected to meet with Polish parliamentarians in protest to the adoption of
the resolution on the Armenian Genocide by the Polish Sejm. In his turn
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the Bundestag debates on
the Armenian Genocide `will cloud the German-Turkish relations’. Despite
this Turkey still fears that the Armenian issue will negatively tell on
Turkey’s EU membership negotiations. Moreover, France requested the EU `to
urge its aspirant to give a fresh estimate to the past’. Presently about 450
000 Armenians including famous singer Charles Aznavour live in France. In
his interview with Die Ziet the 80-year-old singer noted that he has been
dreaming about the reconciliation of Armenia and Turkey for a long time.
`The longer Turkey retracts the Genocide recognition the longer the past
will pursue it’, Charles Aznavour said.