FEDERATION OF ARMENIAN ORGANISATIONS IN THE NETHERLANDS DEMANDS THAT UNIVERSITY PROGRAMME WITH TURKEY SHOULD BE STOPPED
Noyan Tapan
Se p 29, 2008
THE HAGUE, SEPTEMBER 29, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. The Federation
of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (the FAON) demands that
the exchange programme of the country’s Erasmus University with Turkey
should be stopped.
According to a recent article published in Dutch daily newspaper
Trouw, students of the Erasmus University, following an exchange
programme with Turkey, are obliged to attend a four days’ course
with a programme, which includes, among others, such subjects as
the denial of the Armenian Genocide and the Turkish point of view
on Cyprus. In this connection the FAON has protested to the Dutch
Minister Ronald Plasterk of Education, Culture and Science demanding
that the mentioned programme should be stopped.
The FAON emphasises that Turkey, as a candidate state for EU has
absolutely not shown any progress in the field of the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide. There is still no freedom of expression
about the Armenian Genocide. Even now under the amended Article 301
of the Turkish Penal Code, prosecution still takes place of people,
who speak about the Armenian Genocide.