OSKANIAN: EU COMMISSION SHOULD FORCE TURKEY TO OPEN ITS BORDERS WITH ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.10.2007 18:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The European Commission should force Turkey to
open its borders with Armenia immediately, since the current border
closure is a violation of the Copenhagen criteria," Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian said when addressing the European Parliament
Committee on Foreign Affairs in Brussels.

Minister Oskanian said the border closure also negatively affects
the relationship between the EU and the Caucasus region. "Turkey’s
membership to the European Union may come in 10-15 years. Should
Armenia wait until then? This is unacceptable," he said.

"If Turkey does not come to terms with its past, its EU accession
prospects will face serious difficulties.

The European Union should consider this issue within the framework
of human rights," Minister Oskanian said.