ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 28 2005

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S RESOLUTION ON TURKEY POSITIVE, NATURAL: VARTAN
OSKANYAN

YEREVAN, September 29. /ARKA/. RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan
considers the resolution on Turkey concerning the admission of the
Armenian Genocide adopted by the European Parliament to be positive
and natural. At his press conference on the upcoming visit of the
Special Representative of the European Parliament to the South
Caucasus, Minister Oskanyan said that if Turkey wants to be admitted
to the EU, it must meet the standards of European countries.
Therefore, it has to re-open the border with Armenia, take a sober
view of its past and make an appropriate assessment of the 1915
events.
EU Special Representative to the South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie
shared Minister Oskanyan’s opinion, pointing out that the European
Parliament’s resolution means that the issues of Armenian-Turkish
relations will be settled during negotiations for Turkey’s admission
to the EU. On Wednesday, the European Parliament voted for
negotiations with Turkey. On the other hand, it adopted a resolution
recommending Turkey to admit mass murders of Armenians. In his turn,
Turkish Premier Recep Tayip stated that Turkey will not admit the
Armenian Genocide during WWI. P.T. -0–