EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
for Justice & Democracy

PRESS RELEASE

Friday 29 May 2009
Contact : Varténie ECHO
Tel. / Fax. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27

EUROPEAN ELECTIONS ` THE EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION RELEASE THEIR
FIVE-YEAR REPORT

The reports enlightens the position of political groups from 2004 to 2009

The European Armenian Federation published today its five-year report on
the European Parliament’s last legislature. The report enlightens the
positions adopted by the various political groups on the issues relating to
foreign affairs, such as Turkey’s accession, the European Neighbourhood
Policy, the relations between the European Union and Armenia or the
destruction by Azerbaijan of the Armenian cultural heritage.
Since two legislatures (10 years), the Federation has been the interpreter
of the European citizens’ expectations on these crucial issues which
engage the future of the Union. Since then, it constitutes for the
Union’s institutions the main interlocutor that comes from the European
civil society with regard to these questions.

The report is based on an analysis of the voting record, and `presents
the positions of the main political groups or some of their most active
members so that, before the European elections, the European citizen could
make his choice on factual and objective information.’
It becomes evident at first reading that the outgoing MEPs from the main
political groups were fragmented on the positions to hold with regard to
these questions, where the need for affirming the Union’s values
generally was confronted to the concern of not offending Turkey. In
particular, the question of recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a
prerequisite for accession.

Thus, the conservatives of the European People’s party (EPP) who are the
majority against Turkey’s accession used this ethical question in 2004,
2005 and 2006 when Turkish fast accession appeared probable. They gave this
issue up the following years when it was out of date, while some MEPs
continued to support it.

Among the socialist group, the French who committed themselves to turn this
claim into the claim of the Party of the European Socialist (PSE) remained
alone without being able to succeed in rallying the PSE’s other
delegations around this demand. Although the French Socialists remained
remarkably faithful to this commitment, the PSE’s global policy was
gradually aligned with Ankara’s desires.
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) is in the same
situation as the Socialist group: the hard core of some democratic members
of Parliament continue to support the European values while the majority of
the liberals give priority to the Turkish accession without really worrying
about the violations of the Union’s principles by this country.

The European United Left Group (GUE) has the most coherent position which
is in favour of Turkish accession by principle and at the same time it
firmly expresses the preliminary demand of respect for European values,
among which the recognition of the Genocide.
As for the Greens, the report stresses that it `started defending the
Turkish immigrants from discriminations and progressively moved to the
unconditional support of the Turkish accession by the dissimulation of the
justified obstacles which impedes the accession process. Consequently, it
constitutes today a real lobby of Turkey within the European Parliament.
‘

The report is available on the European Armenian Federation website
()

Wit h the approach of the European elections, the Federation intends to
continue to play its role of interlocutor between the Europeans’
expectations and the Union’s institutions.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress