FRENCH PRESIDENT URGES TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Mediamax news agency, Yerevan,
30 Sep 06
Yerevan, 30 September: Turkey would be a "mature state" if it
recognized the mistakes of the past, particularly the Armenian
genocide, French President Jacques Chirac told a joint press conference
with his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharyan in Yerevan today.
"Having recognized the Holocaust, Germany did not lose its greatness,"
Chirac said, adding that the ability to acknowledge mistakes and
black pages of the past was a sign of maturity of a state.
President Kocharyan said that Turkey’s EU membership talks do not
pose a threat to Armenia.
"We are interested in having more predictable neighbours who are
committed more to democratic values. In this sense, Turkey’s EU bid
does not pose a threat to us. But we also want the problems facing
Armenia to be resolved in the process of negotiations. It would
be better if this happened at the start of the negotiations, not
on the eve of Turkey’s EU admission, if this takes place at all,"
Kocharyan said.
[Passage omitted: Kocharyan recalls his proposal on intergovernment
commission to discuss problems between Turkey and Armenia]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
