The New Anatolian, Turkey
May 5 2005
Gul: Turkey will rebuff all unfair accusations
Turkey will rebuff all unfair accusations against Turkey on the
so-called Armenian genocide and take immediate steps to reveal the
truth, said Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul in Parliament yesterday. He
added that Turkey also has to raise its voice in legal platforms to
be taken into consideration by other countries.
Briefing members of Parliament’s Foreign Relations, National
Security, and European Union harmonization Commissions, he said that
Turkey will take more active steps regarding recent developments on
the so-called Armenian genocide claims to prove to the world they are
groundless.
He mentioned that parliaments in certain countries have made
disappointing decisions, and that Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc’s
defense of Turkey’s stance on the issue is correct. “We can’t remain
indifferent to such groundless allegations; Turkey should raise its
voice to show that the allegations are baseless,” Gul stressed.
He referred to Turkish deputies that have previously discussed the
Armenian issue in detail, and noted that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan sent a letter to Armenian President Robert Kocharian offering
to establish a research group that would study the genocide problem
objectively and that the Armenian premier’s response was positive.
Gul said that Turkey will do whatever needed to establish good
relations between the two countries, and is ready to take further
steps.
He also touched on Belgium, saying that the Belgian Parliament has
been pursuing a dangerous path by discussing the addition of the
so-called Armenian genocide claims in a law which recognizes the
Holocaust of World War II. “On the other hand, we watch with pleasure
the way Turkish citizens are fighting similar developments in
Germany, as well as the Turkish Embassy and Consulates there,” Gul
added.
No slowing of EU process
He went on to say that the government’s efforts for European Union
membership continue in the same way as before last Dec. 17 when
Turkey received a start date for Turkey’s EU accession talks. He went
on to highlight that Turkey focused on the implementation of reforms
for a while which had caused a misperception in the media that the
government has lost its enthusiasm for the process. “The EU
harmonization process remains the major issue for Turkey today,” he
added.
He said that Turkey will sign the adjustment protocol expanding the
Ankara Protocol to cover newly joined members before this Oct. 3, but
that this doesn’t mean that Turkey has to recognize Greek Cyprus.
~SErdogan already mentioned that reservation at the last EU summit,~T
Gul added.
US relations are positive
Gul also told deputies that Turkey’s relations with the U.S. are
positive, despite “misinformation” which has appeared in the Turkish
press recently. “The common aims and values of both Turkey and the
U.S. contribute to the development of relations between the two
countries,” he said.
He stressed that Turkey gave the U.S. partial permission for the use
of Incirlik Airbase, which doesn’t cover transportation of troops or
arms, and added that full-access permission is not in line with
Turkey’s sovereignty. He also underlined that flights involved in
military operations from Incirlik are strictly banned, and there has
been no secret decision made on the issue.
The U.S. wanted to use Incirlik in line with United Nations
resolutions, for the transportation of logistical material for
operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the airbase was previously
used by Britain, Canada, and Hungary, Gul said. He added that the
flights will be supervised by Turkish military officials.
He said that the U.S. requests are in line with Turkey’s political
interests towards Afghanistan and Iraq, noting that Turkey is also
positive about the recent demand by the South Korea to use Incirlik
for logistical purposes in the current Iraqi operation. The Korean
demand is currently under discussion, he added.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress