EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION WELCOMES EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBERS’
INITIATIVE ON ADDING ISSUE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FACT ADMISSION BY
TURKEY TO THE ISSUES UNDER EU-TURKEY NEGOTIATIONS
Arka News Agency, Armenia
July 12 2006
YEREVAN, July 12. /ARKA/. European Armenian Federation, EAF,
welcomes European Parliament members’ initiative on including the
issue of Armenian Genocide fact admission by Turkey in the agenda of
negotiations on the latter’s possible EU membership, EAF Chair Hilda
Tchoboian said.
She said the Federation urges European Parliament Foreign Affairs
Commission to keep heading this road and to put the issue on the
negotiations agenda.
Otherwise, she said, every step forward in the Turkey EU membership
negotiation process will mean digression from European values, because
Turkey remains stuck to its policy of denying the genocide fact.
The Commission will consider "Turkey’s progress on its way to the EU"
on Wednesday.
European MPs will hear the report by Dutch lawmaker Camiel Eurlings,
after which draft resolution on Turkey aspiration to join European
Union will be voted.
On Tuesday, the EU key political groups’ representatives welcomed
the genocide-related issue in the agenda.
Parliamentarians seek the genocide fact admission by Ankara. They
also want Turkey to comply with their demand to lift blockade of
Armenia without any preconditions.
European Parliament demands Turkey to recognize Cyprus, to solve Curd
problem and to ensure ethnic minorities’ right for freedom of speech.
M.V. -0–