BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS A MOTION TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Armenpress
Mar 30 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS: The parliament of Bulgaria turned
down a draft resolution calling for official acknowledgment of the
Armenian genocide and designating April 24 as the day of remembrance
of its victims.

The motion was initiated by a parliament faction of Ataka party
last January. Armenian ambassador to Bulgaria, Sergey Manaserian,
told Armenpress that the Bulgarian parliament is not likely to resume
debates over this issue this year. He said the motion is being strongly
opposed by another parliamentary faction- the Movement for Freedoms
and Rights- which represents ethnic Bulgarian Turks, which is also
a member of the governing coalition.

Another reason that affects the Bulgarian parliament is its active
economic and trade contacts with Turkey. In 2007 Bulgaria is expected
to become EU member and would hardly like to stir up additional
problems with its neighbors or its biggest national minority. The
Armenian ambassador said this April 24 events commemorating the 91-st
anniversary of the genocide will be held in various Bulgarian cities.