ALI BABACAN SAYS TURKEY MAY RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ARMINFO News Agency
September 25, 2006 Monday
Turkish State Secretary Ali Babacan, who represents Turkey at the
membership talks with the EU, says that Turkey may recognize the
Armenian Genocide.
Tarcuman daily (Turkey) reports Babacan to say this in his Sept
9 interview to NRC Handelspad when asked if Turkey will recognize
the Armenian Genocide if any Turkey-organized commission concludes
that there was genocide. He said: "Yes we will have to accept such
a conclusion."
The source says that Sept 24 the vice chairman of the Nationalist
Movement party Oktai Vural severely criticized Babacan for his words
while the leader of the Justice and Prosperity party, Prime Minister
Recep Erdogan said that "this is the first such pitiful and careless
statement and it has been a big blow on the Turkish people’s struggle
in this matter."