TURKEY URGES 3RD PARTY COUNTRIES NOT TO INTERFERE ON ARMENIAN RELATIONS

Hurriyet
Dec 12 2008
Turkey

ANKARA – The Turkish Parliament urged the parliaments of third
party countries not to disrupt the process of rapprochement between
Turkey and Armenia with efforts to recognize the 1915-dated events
as "genocide". "Politicians and parliaments cannot judge history,
" said Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan.

"We have always warned the parliaments [of other countries] that
such moves will not help the Turkey-Armenia talks. All responsible
parliaments should now avoid hindering the ongoing process," Köksal
Toptan Parliament Speaker told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic
Review in an interview.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul was in Yerevan in a historic visit
in September, paving the way to normalize relations between the two
neighbors, who have had no diplomatic ties since the early ’90s. Barack
Obama’s victory in the presidential race and his decision to appoint
Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State worried Turkey, who fears a
possible recognition of the 1915 incidents involving Armenian as
genocide by the House of Representatives, because of the strong
support both have voiced towards the Urmenian lobby.

Toptan recalled that France decided to halt discussing historical
events in their parliament and praised the move as positive. "It’s
satisfactory to see that other parliaments have started to share
our views on the matter," Toptan stated. Having already recognized
the Armenian claims, France had been discussing whether or not to
prosecute those who denied the claims for the last two years.

Turkey not prejudiced Asked what the Turkish Parliament could do to
help the reconciliation process with Armenia, Toptan said Parliament
had no prejudices against Armenians and was ready to talk to them. "We
will do whatever we can do in terms of contributing to the ongoing
process," Toptan said.

Though he said they were not prejudiced against Armenians, Toptan
emphasized the fact that Armenia still occupied territories of
Azerbaijan. "I think Armenia’s withdrawal from the Nagorno-Karabagh
will surely have a positive impact on the process," he said.

There are 70,000 Armenian people working in Turkey and many Turkish
products are sold in Armenia, Toptan said, adding, "If we continue
in this direction, there will be no issues left for the Armenian
diaspora to abuse."

Toptan also had messages for his European counterpart who relentlessly
criticized Turkey for slowing down the reform process. Arguing that
the 2007 general elections reduced the country’s motivation but had
no negative impact on technical talks, Toptan said: "We are speeding
up … But the EU is not implementing its own obligations. It would
be unfair to put the blame on Turkey. This country has made enormous
reforms in recent years."

The EU harmonization packet, including 130 new laws, was brought to
the agenda of the Council of Ministers and Parliament discussed the
Turkish Trade Law, Toptan said.

–Boundary_(ID_v6epekTJUs67/JvAcSinog)–