THE RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS A PREREQUISITE FOR TURKEY’S ACCESSION TO THE EU

ArmRadio.am
05.09.2006 17:40

The European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) voted late
last evening on the Eurlings report on "Turkey’s progress towards
accession" and its 343 amendments. This mostly critical report of
Turkey was adopted by 53 votes, with 6 against and 8 abstentions.

With regard to the question of the Armenian Genocide which was
constantly discussed during the debates, a majority of MEPs from
the main political groups (EPP, PSE, ALDE, GUE) adopted two similar
amendments which reiterates its call on Turkey to acknowledge the
Armenian Genocide as a precondition for its accession.

In addition, the AFET "strongly condemns the racist and xenophobic
‘Talaat Pasha committee for gravely infringing European principles,
and the denialist demonstrations in Lyon and Berlin" organized by
those same organizations.

It calls on Turkey to abolish this committee and end its activities.

The European Armenian Federation informs that the AFET also adopted
a compromise amendment disputed by many MEPs, which expresses a whole
series of obscure proposals such as the opening of the Turkish archives
and reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey.

The AFET committee also invites Turkey "to establish, without
preconditions, good neighborly relations with Armenia and to end the
economic blockade and to open the land border in order to fulfill the
priorities of the Accession Partnership and the obligations defined
within the Negotiating Framework".

"It is a victory for the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) which
confirms that it can resist the pressures of Ankara. We congratulate
the rapporteur and the many members of Parliament who reaffirmed
the political line of the Parliament, which consists in making the
recognition of the Genocide into a prerequisite for accession,"
declared Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian
Federation.

"However, we regret the amendment called the ‘compromise amendment’,
which in fact only copied the position of some isolated MEPs who still
support Ankara in its attempt to deny the Genocide and to escape the
political problem that it constitutes," continued Hilda Tchoboian.