AZG Armenian Daily #115, 23/06/2005

Turkey-Armenia

‘BORDER WITH ARMENIA SHOULD OPEN’

European Commission Warns Turkey

On June 22, Turkish public television and press informed that the European
Commission warned Turkey to open its border with Armenia. The warning
concerning Armenian issues came from European Enlargement Commissioner Oli
Ren who backs Turkey’s accession to EU.

Answering parliamentarians’ questions at the Commission for External
Relations, Oli Ren said, “I think the Turkish government should open border
with Armenia. That’s important”. Meanwhile, he positively assessed Turkish
prime minister’s proposal of a “joint group of historians from both
countries” and pointed out that the European Commission attaches special
importance to implementation of laws on freedom of speech, national
minorities and laws on estate.

“I sent a written appeal to foreign minister Abdullah Gul two days ago
concerning these laws. We think the present draft laws are insufficient. We
demanded that they revise them. If there are still derelictions, we’ll have
to take appropriate steps”.

By Hakob Chakrian