Turkey firm on facing Armenian allegations

Thursday, May 5, 2005

DIPLOMACY

Ankara is not distancing itself from the idea of having officials on
a joint research committee between Turkey and Armenia

TDN Parliament Bureau

Ankara, seeking an initiative concerning Armenian genocide allegations
via a joint research committee between Ankara and Yerevan to study
tragic events that took place in Anatolia during World War I, is now
poised for a fresh attempt regarding the international dimension of
the issue.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday informed members of the
parliamentary committees for foreign affairs, national defense,
European Union harmonization and human rights of Turkey’s foreign
policy agenda. He emphasized that the Armenian allegations were one
of Turkey’s most important matters.

“We will start an important initiative all together with government,
opposition, parliamentary and nongovernmental organizations. There
is an international community that has accepted the so-called
Armenian genocide,” Gul told members of the committees, according to
parliamentary sources speaking to the Turkish Daily News.

Turkey categorically denies the Armenian charges alleging that 1.5
million Anatolian Armenians were killed during a genocide campaign
between 1915 and 1918, while the Armenian diaspora has unleashed
a campaign on the international community to pressure Turkey into
accepting their allegations as fact.

Turkish proposals for expert and authoritative research of the relevant
history applauded by the international community are unacceptable
to Armenians, who claim that the “genocide” is a historical fact
and see debate over the issue as anathema. Recent applause for
Ankara’s initiative came from U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for European and Eurasian Affairs Laura Kennedy, who called it
“encouraging” to see a recent exchange of letters between the leaders
of both countries on how to address the killings of Armenians during
World War I.

However, Armenian President Robert Kocharian, in his reply to
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s proposal for a joint research
committee, suggested an inter-governmental commission that would be
tasked with investigating ways to normalize relations between Turkey
and Armenia.

While studies regarding the proposal of a joint committee continue
at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, diplomatic sources told the Anatolia
news agency that Ankara has not been distancing itself from the idea
of having officials in a joint commission. Such a committee would
not necessarily be formed solely by historians, Turkish officials or
Armenian officials, but historians from third countries may take part
in the committee.