TURKEY NOT INTEND TO ESTABLISH DIALOGUE WITH ARMENIA TO DISADVANTAGE OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 14 2006

YEREVAN, December 13. /ARKA – Novosty-Armenia/. Turkey does not
intend to establish relations with Armenia that can deteriorate the
intergovernmental relations with Azerbaijan, Mensur Aktun, head of
the department for foreign policy of the Turkish Economic and Social
Research Foundation (TESEV) reported in Yerevan Monday.

He said that is why Turkey puts specific conditions in establishing
intergovernmental relations: progress in the negotiations over the NKR
conflict and creation of a commission for Armenian-Turkish relations.

Among positive achievements in the progress of the intergovernmental
relations, the Turkish expert also mentioned the issue of the Armenian
Genocide, which is currently actively discussed in Turkey.

However, he did not use the term "genocide", but the word "tragedy".

He argued this by saying that "this tragedy" does not fit the
characteristics of the genocide according to the 1948 Geneva Convention
on prevention and punishment for the crime of genocide.

"Turkey’s official position is not denial of the tragedy, but
discussion of the problem," he said.

The Armenian Genocide is the first one of the 20th century, resulting
in annihilation of 1.5mln Armenians.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress