EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
for Justice and Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel: +322 732 70 26
Tel/Fax: +322 732 70 27
Email: contact@eafjd.org

PRESS RELEASE
September 25, 2006
Contact: Vartenie ECHO
Tel: +322 732 70 26

THE EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION DENOUNCES THE TURKISH PRESSURE ON THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

– The Socialist and Liberal groups demand to suppress the paragraph on
the recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a precondition to the
adhesion of Turkey.

– Under the pressure exercised by Turkey, the Socialist and Liberal
groups – while being the two principal promoters of the paragraph in
question during the vote of September 4 in the Committee on Foreign
Affairs – have performed an about turn by submitting an amendment
which aims to suppress the precondition. These amendments do not enjoy
the unanimity of their groups.

`Turkey has imposed these amendments by intimidating certain members
of the two groups. Several parliamentarians close to the file have
even been personally threatened’ declared Hilda Tchoboian, the
president of the European Armenian Federation.

`Turkey, while not in Europe, is attempting to revert and direct the
political line of our European representatives and is imposing its
denial. The recognition of the genocide as a precondition to the
adhesion was adopted in the same terms in the resolution of September
2005. We warn against this risky strategy which will offend the
European nations in order `not to offend’ a state which is
definitively negationist’ concluded Hilda Tchoboian.

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