Turkey’s membership to EU is not problem for Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.04.2007 19:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Turkey’s membership to the European Union is not
a problem for Armenia, even just the opposite. Armenia would benefit
most of all if Turkey fulfilled those preconditions that the EU
demands. It would mean an open border between Armenia and Turkey,
improving protection of the Armenian minority in Turkey and their
property, Turkish intellectuals could freely speak about the Armenian
Genocide and EU’s borders would approach Armenia. What else we would
like to wish?" Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian stated at
the interview to Austrian newspaper Der Standart.

He expresses concerns saying that, "It looks like Turkey cannot
be transformed," "Obviously the country moves on the wrong way,
after the assassination of Hrant Dink they even did not change the
Penal Code article of "insulting Turkishness". We also fear that
the EU in the issue of Turkey’s membership will compromise and will
accept a country without waiting for final transformations to take
place there. Also we are concerned that the border with Armenia will
continue to be closed. Our hope is the European Union.

The Copenhagen criteria state that candidate-states must open their
borders. Armenia is not mentioned there, instead our neighbor Turkey
is mentioned.

Ankara must open his borders. The EU must point to it as soon
as possible, to improve political and economic situation in our
region. We do not have clear answers for the motives of closing
the borders. What’s the matter, in Azerbaijan, in Nagorno Karabakh,
what else?

The fact is that border is closed and it does not have any
justification," Vartan Oskanian underscored.