TURK CHAIRMAN OF NATO PA SUBCOMMITTEE ATTEMPTS TO REFUSE FACT OF GENOCIDE AT MEETING WITH RA NA SPEAKER

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 14 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA NA Speaker Tigran
Torosian received on June 13 members of joint delegations of the
Future Security and Defence Capabilies Subcommittee of the Defence
and Security Committee and the Democratic Management Subcommittee of
the Security Civil Measurement Committee of the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly.

The NA Speaker mentioned that Armenia’s relations with the NATO develop
dinamically and expressed satisfaction with their level. It was also
mentioned that within that framework the Individual Partnership Actions
Plan has an exclusive meaning. Tigran Torosian considered the state of
Armenia’s associated member to the NATO PA as an important stimulus
for deepening relations, attaching importance to the issue that
those relations develop not only in the defence direction but also
in the directions of making the legislation going with democratic,
political and European standards. The Parliament Speaker separated
this period in life of Armenia as time of preparing for the 2007 and
2008 state elections and making the legislation corresponding to the
constitutional amendments. Then Tigran Torosian answered questions
of the delegations members that relate both to relations of NATO and
Armenia, and to works of region and National Assembly.

Vahit Erdem, the Chairman of the Future Security and Defence
Capabilities Subcommittee mentioned about their mission that the
problem is review of Armenia and NATO relations, taking into account
that as a result of geopolitical changes, the NATO was also changed
and turned into a structure of defending peace in the world which is
open for any country. Representative of Great Britain Frank Cook will
prepare the regional report.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the NA Public Relations Department,
Erdem was interested in how Armenia prepares for the elections. NA
Speaker Tigran Torosian presented in details that the Parliament is
today engaged in reforms of the Electoral Code, the Venice Commission
experts’ opinion has already been got, after discussions of which and
agreeing with the political forces at the autumn session, the National
Assembly will already receive the Electoral Code. He also mentioned
that some principles are being experimented for to be defined and
improved in action. For holding elections corresponding to democratic
standards, the NA Speaker attached importance to creation of beneficial
moral-psychological atmosphere and cooperation of all parties.

Vitalino Canas, the representative of Portugal was interested if
Armenia, considering membership to the European Union as its’ foreign
political supremacy, is not going to join the NATO either. Tigran
Torosian reminded that there are EU member countries which are not
NATO members, and it is a normal phenomenon. He re-affirmed that
membership to the European Union is supremacy of foreign policy of
Armenia, and all steps are undertaken in the direction of Armenia’s
membership to the EU, and Armenia has made no statement about its
intention to join the NATO, and it said that it is successive on the
way of deepening relations, what is being done.

Chetin Kazak, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Democratic
Management, the representative of Bulgaria was interested in relations
of Armenia with two neighbors. The NA Speaker mentioned that Armenia
has stated many times that he is for normal relations with neighbors,
without proposing pre-conditions, and finds that contacts, discussions,
an open dialogue are necessary for establishing relations. Some
steps have already been taken at the PACE and within the framework
of the South Caucasian Parliamentary Initiative, and Tigran Torosian
expressed a hope that neighbors as well will have readiness to take
steps forward.

Speaking about the report being prepared, Tigran Torosian mentioned
a number of principles that needs improvement: it was particularly
mentioned in the report that Armenia’s "international symphathizers"
consider that a genocide took place, when it’s necessary to mention
the EU member countries and the Europarliament which recognized the
Genocide. In response, representative of Turkey Vahit Erdem refused
the fact of the Genocide: according to his insistence, neither 1915
Armenian Genocide took place nor there was a state order to kill
Armenians, and it may be spoken just about 400-500 thousand people who
themselves attacked Turks by Russians’ instigation. Tigran Torosian
interrupted Turk deputy’s "history lecture" and calling on him to be
proper, considered incompatible such a behaviour with the post occupied
within the framework of the international organization. Tigran Torosian
reminded Vahid Erdem that he has no right to give estimations either to
Genocide or to Europarliament or to countries recognized the Genocide.