TURKISH AMBASSADOR CALLS ON ARMENIANS: WE SHOULD NOT RAISE OUR CHILDREN WITH ANIMOSITY

Turkish Press
May 21 2008

WASHINGTON D.C. – The Turkish Ambassador in Washington D.C. has called
on Armenians not to raise children with animosity.

Speaking at a meeting hosted by the Potomac Institute for Policy
Studies on "the Future of Turkey-U.S. Strategic Partnership", Nabi
Sensoy said, "the draft resolution submitted to the U.S. Congress on
the incidents of 1915 brought Turkey-U.S. relations to ‘brink of a
disaster’. We are pleased with leaving those days behind as a result
of resolute attitude of U.S. administration and congressmen."

Sensoy reminded that Prime Minister Erdogan had called on Armenians
to form a joint committee of historians to unveil the truth.

"Turkey has opened its archives long ago. Armenians should do the
same thing. We expect politicians in the United States and in other
countries to let historians to deal with past events," he said.

"We should not raise our children with animosity. I grew up together
with many Turkish citizens of Armenian descent. It was one of
our Armenian neighbors who cried and mourned most when I lost my
father. Enmity does not lead us to anywhere," he said.

Denying accusations that Turkey imposed economic embargo on Armenia,
Sensoy said that Turkey was the fifth biggest economic partner of
Armenia and number of weekly flights between Turkey and Armenia
reached four.

"Everyone in Turkey condemned killing of journalist Hrant
Dink. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest his
assassination. It is not correct to claim that the Armenian issue was
not discussed in Turkey. On the contrary, any opposition to state’s
views regarding the incidents of 1915 was banned in Armenia with an
amendment to the penal code in October 2006." he said.

Sensoy also criticized that the Armenian diaspora thwarted Armenian
Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan’s speech during his visit to Washington D.C.

Referring to the other developments in the region, Sensoy said, "Like
the international community, Turkey does not want to see Iran armed
with nuclear weapons. However, we think that Iran should not be fully
isolated by the international community. Instead, we should improve our
relations with them and try to persuade them to change their policies."