Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 28 2005
Council of Europe Calls Armenia to Accept Turkish Call
JTW – Members of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE)
are expressing support for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s recent suggestion to Armenian President Robert Kocharian
that the two sides establish a joint commission to study the
historical disputes between Turkey and Armenia.
Speaking to Turkish news channel NTV on Tuesday, European Council
General Secretary Terry Davis described Tayyip Erdogan’s overture as
“a very good idea.”
Calling the joint investigation by Turkish and Armenian historians a
“reasonable undertaking,” Davis said that Erdogan had made a
“positive gesture.” “I see Erdogan’s suggestion as a positive gesture
towards understanding these historical events in order to attain to a
common perspective, and I support it,” he added.
PACE calls on Kocharian to accept Erdogan’s overture
News of the Council of Europe’s support for Erdogan’s joint
commission came earlier this week from the institution’s
Parliamentary Assembly.
Some 80 assembly members signed on Monday a written statement during
a general assembly meeting in Strasbourg that called on Kocharian to
accept Erdogan’s proposition.
PACE had named Armenia as aggressive and occupier country in the
Caucasus. Armenian forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani
territories for more than a decade and Armenia rejects all calls to
withdraw.
KOCHARIAN SUGGESTS INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION
Armenian President Ropert Kocharian replied last week to Erdogan’s
letter by putting forth a very different option. “The political
atmosphere should be prepared for dialogue,” Kocharian said. He
proposed the formation of an intergovernmental commission to study
all the problems between the two countries. However Turkish side
found the Armenian reply `tricky’. According to Ankara, Kocharian
tries to manipulate the Turkish call. Turkey and Armenia has no
diplomatic relations. Ankara asks Armenia to withdraw its armies from
Azerbaijan and recognize Turkey’s national borders.
Compiled by Jan SOYKOK,