YEREVAN DOESN’T PUT PRESSURE ON WORLD PARLIAMENTS FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FACT RECOGNITION
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 19 2007
YEREVAN, December 19. /ARKA/. Yerevan doesn’t put pressure on world
parliaments for Armenian Genocide fact recognition, Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian said on Wednesday at National Assembly’s
hearings on Armenian-Turkish relations.
"What is going on in countries’ parliaments are their interior
matter. This is the matter of these countries’ citizens and lawmakers",
Oskanian said.
Denying Turkey’s allegation that Armenia triggers and promotes
discussions over the genocide in parliaments, the minister said that
Armenian authorities raise this issue in governments, not parliaments,
since the genocide fact recognition is on Armenian foreign policy’s
agenda.
"We don’t interfere in other countries’ interior affairs. But this
is the right of our compatriots living overseas, since they are
concerned about Armenia’s and the region’s problems. They think
the minimal contribution they can make to their country is to seek
the genocide fact recognition by other countries’ parliaments with
follow-up recognition by Turkey", Oskanian said.
He thinks the genocide fact admission by Turkey can change things in
the region, which will eventually improve Armenia-Turkey relations.
Armenian Genocide is the first genocide of 20th century.
Turkey denies accusations of killing 1 500 000 Armenians during
the World War I and reacts very painfully to criticism coming from
the West.
Uruguay, Russia, Lithuania, France, Lower House of Italian Parliament,
the majority of the U.S.A states, Greek, Cyprian, Argentine, Belgian
and Wales and Swiss parliaments as well as House of Communities
Canadian Parliament and Polish Seym have recognized the genocide
fact.