TURKISH PRIME MINISTER CALLS DEMAND OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE NOTHING BUT "DAYDREAM"

Yerevan, September 6. ArmInfo. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has said that it would be nothing but a "daydream" to expect
recognition by Turkey of the genocide of Armenians during the last
years of the Ottoman Empire.

The European Parliament (EP) called on Turkey for recognition of
Armenian genocide claims as a condition for its accession to the
union in a draft report adopted by majority in Strasbourg on Monday.

PM Erdogan and his Albanian counterpart Sali Berisha held a joint press
conference on Tuesday following their meeting at the prime ministry
office in Ankara. Commenting on the draft report on Turkey for 2006
prepared by the European Parliament (EP), Erdogan remarked that the
EP decisions were nor binding. Erdogan added that expecting Turkey’s
recognition of Armenian killings as "genocide" was impossible. Turkish
Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected the EP report, saying that the
report compiled by Dutch legislator Camiel Eurlings was incompatible
with prestige and gravity of the European parliament.

"Turkey was deeply saddened with the stance of the European parliament
regarding the so-called Armenian genocide claims," FM spokesman said

Earlier, talking to ArmInfo, Press Secretary of the EP Committee
Marjory van den Broeke said majority of European parliamentarians voted
for the report which had aroused much discussions and criticism. In
two weeks the reports will be heard at the plenary session of the
European Commission, wherein a final decision will be made on the
report and on the point concerned with Armenian Genocide, she said. The
response of the European Commission to the decision of the Committee
on recognition of Armenian Genocide by Turkey is not known yet. Hence,
the European policy in this direction is not clear either, Marjory
van den Broeke said.