Zaman, Turkey
Sept 24 2005
Gul: Turkish Own Goal
Published: Friday, September 23, 2005
zaman.com
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, reacting to the decision of
the court to cancel an Armenian Conference to the last minute, said:
`You can rarely find a country which does itself so much harm.’
Those who want to prevent Turkey’s membership of the European Union
(EU) from inside or outside are making their last attempts, Gul
claimed, adding it would not be a surprise for him if there are more
similar events.
Statements of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Gul criticized
the cancellation decision but the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) called on the organizers of the conferences to obey the
decision of the court.
The AKP parliamentary group deputy chairman Salih Kapusuz emphasized
the values of Turkish people, underlining there has never been an
Armenian Genocide in any period of Turkish History.
`The court has taken a decision on this issue. As the decision is
taken in the name of Turkish people the implementation of it should
be considering the values of Turkish people. We will all see the
applications for the advantage of Turkish people in time.’
AKP Vice President Akif Gulle focused on the organizers of the
Armenian Conference: `We should all be respectful to the decisions of
the courts. Insisting on this issue is not appropriate anymore.’