Brainstorming On Turkish-armenian Joint Commission Continues
Turkish Press
May 7 2005
ANKARA (AA) – As brainstorming continued on the joint commission
thought to be formed by Turkey and Armenia to examine so-called
Armenian genocide allegations, Ankara is not against participation
of officials in this commission, sources said on Wednesday.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proposed Armenian
President Robert Kocharian to set up a joint commission comprised
of Turkish and Armenian historians and experts to examine Turkish,
Armenian and third countries’ archives regarding the so-called Armenian
genocide claims.
Kocharian responded to this proposal saying that this commission
should be intergovernmental.
Diplomatic sources in Ankara are not against the statement made
by Laura Kennedy, the U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary
for European & Eurasian Affairs, that these two proposals could be
realized together.
Sources told A.A correspondent that Turkey did not think that the
commission must be comprised of historians alone when laying this
proposal down.
The same sources said that Turkey thought that historians, academicians
and scientists from France, Germany, Russia, Britain and the United
States could also participate in this commission as well as those
from Turkey and Armenia.
Also, the same sources noted, the commission should also include
officials from Turkey and Armenia, and stated that two commissions,
one comprised of historians and one from officials, could be set up.
The same sources said that the commission to be comprised of officials
could be in the level of technocrats.