THE EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION INQUIRIES THE EU FRENCH PRESIDENCY

armradio.am
22.07.2008 13:10

Turkey’s application for membership and genocide denial focused among
the threats that "protective Europe" fostered by the French presidency
should address.

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy said that
it took the opportunity of the EU French presidency (July to December
2008) to draw the attention of Mr. Sarkozy, the French president and
the new President of the EU, on the expectations and concerns of the
European Armenian citizens.

In its letter the European Armenian Federation addressed the big EU
policies toward Turkey and the South Caucasus (Enlargement, European
Neighbourhood Policy, and Black Sea Synergy) and, on the other hand,
those related to genocide denial and racial hatred in the EU member
States and in the applicant countries.

About the Turkish problem, the Federation noticed in its mail
that "the well-lubricated accession process steps forward without
discontinuation, in contempt of the sovereign will of the European
People as despite the refusal by Turkey to reform itself" and that
this gives evidence of "a given leniency of the EU institutions
towards the severe shortcomings of this candidate country".

Therefore, the Federation calls upon the new EU President to "shape
its opposition to Turkey’s accession in clearly stating the unavoidable

conditions that this country must fulfil," among which the requisite
acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.

Terming this recognition a "moral, juridical and political" obligation,
the Federation said that such a momentum would be "emblematic"
and would give evidence that Turkey can break her "aggressive State
doctrine stemming from an ideology which disappeared in Europe since
the end of World War II".

"About the EU policy toward the South Caucasus, the Federation commends
the "ever-increasing integration" of Armenia and its region in the
European multilateral cooperation structures. It calls upon the
French presidency to support the "Eastern dimension of the European
Neighbourhood Policy" (ENP-Est) and the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly
project. It terms as a "good strategic choice for the EU" the direct
dialog with the South Caucasus states rather than "through structures
involving other regional players."

Tackling the EU Home policies, the Federation recalls the written
pledge of presidential candidate Sarkozy (letter sent at the Federation
on the 13 mars 2007) "to foster the emergence of a European consensus"
on the pan European penalization of genocides denials, in the agenda
of the then-to-be-adopted EU Framework-Decision fighting "against
racism and xenophobia."

"During the elaboration period of this project,=2 0we worked with the
European Commission, Council and Parliament to promote the inclusion
of the Armenian Genocide in the final wordings of this Framework
Decision; Nowadays, we have succeeded," revealed Hilda Tchoboian,
the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.

Recalling the French draft law on penalising denial "pending in the
Senate", the Federation urges President Sarkozy to keep this provision
of the Framework Decision without restricting its scope, when it will
be transposed in the French legislation, and to promote during the
French presidency, a similar attitude for the transposition in the
legislations of the 26 other member States.

"In a nutshell, we ask the French Presidency to give a political and
juridical content to its "Protective Europe" concept, in reinforcing
the prevention and penalization measures against the genocide denial
proliferation threat in European," concluded Tchoboian.