TURKISH DELEGATION TO LOBBY AGAINST ARMENIA BILL IN US

Anadolu Agency
Feb 26 2010
Turkey

A delegation of Turkey-U.S. Interparliamentary Friendship Caucus led
by Suat Kiniklioglu will hold meetings in the United States between
February 28 and March 6.

A delegation of Turkey-U.S. Interparliamentary Friendship Caucus led
by Suat Kiniklioglu will hold meetings in the United States between
February 28 and March 6.

The delegation will make lobbying activities against the adoption of
a draft on 1915 incidents which will be discussed at U.S. House of
Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs on March 4.

Kiniklioglu told reporters that carrying such a draft onto the agenda
was a lack of foresight as well as unfortunate while a normalization
process was carried out between Turkey and Armenia.

Kiniklioglu said that they would stress the strategic and long-term
importance of Turkey-U.S. relations during their meetings.

Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols on October 10, 2009 to
normalize relations between the two countries. The protocols envisage
the two countries to establish diplomatic ties and open the border
that has been close since 1993. Turkey and Armenia also agreed to take
steps to operate a sub-commission on impartial scientific examination
of the historical records and archive to define existing problems
and formulate recommendations, in which Armenian, Turkish as well
as Swiss and other international experts would take part. However,
on January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of Armenia declared a
decision of constitutional conformity on the protocols. Turkey thought
the fifth article of Armenian Constitutional Court’s verdict regarding
the protocols was against the target and basis of the protocols.

Also, in 2005, Turkey officially proposed to Armenian government the
establishment of a joint commission of history composed of historians
and other experts from both sides to study together the events of
1915 not only in the archives of Turkey and Armenia but also in the
archives of all relevant third countries and to share their findings
with the public.