TURKISH BUSINESSMEN, ISRAELI PRESIDENT DISCUSS ARMENIAN QUESTION
European Armenian Federation, Belgium
source: Anadolu Ajansi
Anatolia News Agency
Brussels, 9 September 2007
JERUSALEM (A.A) -A group of Turkish businessmen, who are currently
in Jerusalem to attend the sixth meeting of "Ankara Forum", were
received on Wednesday by Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Turkish businessmen, led by the Union of Chambers & Commodity Exchanges
of Turkey (TOBB) and Ankara Forum Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu,
voiced their complaints about the American Jewish organization
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) regarding its approach towards Armenian
question and incidents of 1915.
Abraham Foxman, the National Director of ADL, said earlier in a
statement that his organization had come to share the view that the
incidents of 1915 "were indeed tantamount to genocide," but added
that the organization maintained its opposition against bringing the
issue to Congressional floor.
Hisarciklioglu told Peres that domestic politics in USA grows in a way
that would harm relations between Turkey and the United States. He
said if the Armenian bill is adopted by the US Congress, relations
among some other countries would also come to harm.
"None of the laws can change history. History is for the
record. History can only be examined by historians," Peres replied.
Peres said that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
proposal is appropriate and that he supports this offer. Erdogan
earlier proposed to conduct a research by independent historians in
Ottoman archives on the incidents of 1915.
Hisarciklioglu also gave brief information to Peres about issues
discussed at Ankara Forum and their future projects in West Bank,
asking Peres to support their projects.
The sixth meeting of the "Ankara Forum", which brought together
representatives of Turkish, Israeli and Palestinian business world,
discussed Gaza industrial zone project and investments to be made in
West Bank.
Last meeting of the forum took place in Washington D.C. five months
ago.