TURKEY’S MEMBERSHIP IN EU TO BECOME ONE OF STRATEGIC AIMS OF ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 15 2007

YEREVAN, October 15. /ARKA/. Turkey’s membership in the EU should
become one of the strategic aims of Armenia. Co-Director of regional
AEPLAC (Armenian-European Policy and Legal Advice Centre) office,
expert Tigran Jrbashyan said during the seminar "Armenia-EU – Armenia’s
future" that in case if Turkey becomes and EU member, it will become a
"forecasted neighbor" for Armenia.

"If Turkey loses the hope of entering the European Union, it will
become a country in the region, around which the situation will
become rather dangerous," he said and added that the re-opening of
the Armenian-Turkish border depends on this issue.

Jrbashyan is sure that the Armenian society should pass to such a
level of development where the modern Turkish society is.

"We must understand that if an Islamic country as Turkey could have
modernized its society, Armenia needs to follow its example at least
because of national dignity," he said.

Member of the RPA (Republican Party of Armenia) Board Armen Ashotyan
agreed that Turkey’s Eurointegration is a strategic requirement for
Armenia, which "will weaken Russian presence in Armenia."

"Peaceful and civilized Turkey in Armenia and in the region as a
whole will lead to the formation of new geopolitical conditions,
which will also be of benefit for Russia," he said.

There are no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey because
of preconditions laid down by the Turkish side. In particular, Turkey
wants Armenia to abandon the international process of recognizing
the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire during the years of World
War I, when over 1.5mln Armenians were massacred.

Besides, Turkey openly takes a pro-Azerbaijani position in the
settlement of the Karabakh issue.

The Armenian Genocide is recognized by many countries, among them
Uruguay, Lithuania, Russia, France, the Lower Chamber of Italian
parliament and the most of U.S. states, parliaments of Greece, Cyprus,
Argentina, Belgium, Wales, National Council of Switzerland, Chamber of
Commons of Canadian parliament and Seym of Poland. The Armenian-Turkish
border was closed in 1993 on the initiative of official Ankara.