ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS REMAIN UNDEVELOPED: ARMENIAN PRESIDENT
ARMINFO News Agency
September 30, 2006 Saturday
Armenian-Turkish relations remain undeveloped, Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan said during a joint press-conference with French
President Jacques Chirac.
He said that Armenia is interested in having a more predictable,
safe and democratic neighbor. In this light, we have no fears about
Turkey-EU membership talks, on the contrary, we would like to see
certain problems to be resolved in this process. Kocharyan hopes that
the system of values, respect for freedom of movement, open borders
and other values applied in Europe will cover Turkey too and not at
the end of the talks but from the very beginning.
In his turn, asked if Turkey will have to recognize the Armenian
Genocide to qualify for EU membership, Chirac said that each country
and nation can develop only if it realizes its past. By admitting its
acts against Jews Germany did not lose its grandeur and reliability,
on the country. A country seeking EU membership must respect human
rights as this is the top value in Europe. Turkey should think well
and recognize and condemn its past, Chirac said.