ABDULLAH GUL: ARMENIANS’ GENOCIDE ALLEGATION WILL BE THE MOST SEROUS PROBLEM IN FORTHCOMING 10 YEARS
By Hakob Chakrian

AZG Armenian Daily
17/11/2006

On November 14, the Budget Department of the Turkish parliament
discussed the Foreign Ministry’s budget. In his parliament speech
Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul touched upon the Armenian
Genocide saying: "Genocide claims and the resultant threat of worsening
relations with the third states will be the most serious problem for
us in forthcoming ten years."

Turkish foreign minister pointed out that his ministry is working
jointly with Turkish and foreign lawyers on rebuffing the genocide
claims, Milliet newspaper writes. "We will take all necessary measures
up to taking the issue to the international court. Besides Armenia,
Ankara has also turned to third countries with a request to set up
a joint commission of historians," Gul said.

Deputy of the oppositional People’s Republican Party, Shakryu Elekdag,
welcomed Gul saying: "He is the first foreign minister who speaks
about taking the Armenian allegations to the international court. His
approach should be raised to the level of state policy and to inform
the world about our readiness to go to court.

Turkey has to declare that it is ready to accept any definition of the
1915 event if it will stem out from the clauses of the UN Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Based on
this definition, the issue should be handed over to an international
court. The Armenians will reject this, but our readiness in moral and
legal sense will greatly limit speculation of the genocide against
Turkey."

Elekdag, who is also a former ambassador and is deeply into the
Armenian issues, added: "In case of transferring the issue to court,
Armenians will have to prove by facts that they were exterminated
for merely being Armenians. They have no such evidence, whereas
Turkey has documents proving that the deportation was carried out
for self-defense reasons.

Armenians will fail to get the genocide confirmation at the
International Arbitral Court. Turkey and Armenia will appoint 3
arbiters each that will be headed by an independent foreign judge. Let
the commission decide whether the events of 1915 coincide with the
UN’s definition of genocide."