TURKEY’S AUTOMATIC ACCESSION QUESTIONNED

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Brussels, 10 December 2007

The European Armenian Federation calls upon the citizens of Europe
to demonstrate on December 14 in Brussels

The Permanent Representatives of the 27 Member States didn’t succeed
last week in reaching an agreement on the draft conclusion that must
be adopted by the conference of their Ministries of Foreign Affairs
on Monday, December 10th.

The French request to establish a "Council of Wise Men" was accepted
by the 27 representatives, under the guise of a ‘Reflection Group,’
dedicated to considering the future of the Union. The sub-text however
dissipated into argument over whether the ultimate goal of negotiation
concerning Turkey should include the term ‘accession’. France, who
openly opposes use of the term and Sweden, who is greatly in favour,
clashed and as a result discussions regarding consumer protection and
trans-European networks may be postponed despite plans to hold them
with the Turkish minister of Foreign Affairs on the 18th of December.

It is important to note that despite these disagreements, a conclusion
must be reached prior to the European Council meeting on the 14th. The
European Armenian Federation is of the view that by altering the
basic essence of these negotiations from one of automatic accession to
"accession or privileged partnership," is a positive move. It reopens
the political debate on the key issue of whether Turkeys uniting
with the Democracies of Europe is indeed a natural progression for
the Union itself.

"Even if today, the Europeans have not yet defined the clear content
of what would be the ‘privileged partnership’, we know however
that Turkey will try to obtain a maximum of privileges from the EU
and that it will confer it exorbitant leverages and that it will
reinforce its economic and military power" commented Hilda Tchoboian,
the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.

The Federation recalls that the Second Convention of European Armenians
(15-16 October 2007, European Parliament) expressed in its final
declaration the Armenian position on relations between Turkey and
the EU. The forthcoming demonstration on December 14 in Brussels,
will provide the opportunity for European citizens to restate their
attachment to the moral value of Justice without which the European,
will be unable to stand.

"Whatever the final outcome, accession or privileged partnership,
the Council will have to take the responsibility to set Union ethics
at the very heart of its relationship with Turkey. We must voice our
concerns to the European leaders so that they set forth the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide among their demands," concluded Tchoboian.

The European Armenian Federation calls upon the citizens of Europe,
as well as the NGOs and Armenian associations in Europe to come en
masse to Brussels on December 14 to take part in this demonstration.