IT IS WORTH THAT IN PERSON OF TURKEY, ARMENIA HAS CIVILIZED NEIGHBOUR, ARAM MANUKIAN BELIEVES

Noyan Tapan
Dec 18 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Foreign fundamental relations of
Armenia with other countries must be anchored exclusively on interests
of Armenia.

Aram Manukian, a member of the "Armenian National Movement" (ANM) party
made such a statement at the December 16 meeting. In his words, the
Armenian-Turkish and Armenia-Turkey relations are different phenomena,
and those forces "led by patriotic romanticism, which identify those
two types of relations, are wrong. "In the Armenian-Turkish relations,
the bearer of which is the Diaspora, the recognition issue of the
Armenian Genocide is completely correct, but it is not correct within
the context of the Armenia-Turkey relations," A.Manukian mentioned. In
his words, one must pursue the Genocide recognition issue, but it may
not be made the foundation stone of the foreign policy of the country,
as the today’s authorities do. Touching upon the possible membership
of Turkey to the European Union, the ANM board member mentioned:
"It is worth that Turkey appears in the civilized board, and it is
worth that Armenia has a foreseeable, civilized neighbour." In the
speaker’s words, it would be better that Turkey enters the European
Union staff than cooperates with "terrorism forces of the east."