TURKISH LAWMAKER SAYS RESOLUTION MAY HARM TURKISH-ARMENIAN DIALOGUE PROCESS

Today’s Zaman
March 3 2010
Turkey

A Turkish lawmaker said that the US House of Representatives Foreign
Affairs Committee’s debating a resolution on Armenian allegations
related to the incidents of 1915 could harm normalization process
between Turkey and Armenia.

The Turkish lawmakers, led by Murat Mercan, chairman of the Turkish
parliament’s foreign relations committee, gave a conference at Center
for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.

Turkish-American relations are at top level and the two countries
have been jointly working on several regional and strategic issues,
Mercan said.

Turkish foreign policy aimed at contributing to solution of regional
issues, peace and stability, he said.

Mercan said Turkey signed two protocols with Armenia. "Turkey-Armenia
rapprochement is of great importance for the region," he said.

Not politicians, but historians, experts and intellectuals should
study the 1915 incidents, he said.

Mercan said Turkey and Armenia signed protocols and agreed that
history commission should deal with the allegations on 1915 incidents.

"I don’t understand why the US House of Representatives Foreign
Affairs Committee decided to debate the resolution," he said. This
would really harm the process (between Turkey and Armenia), he added.

Å~^ukru Elekdag from the main opposition Republican People’s Party
(CHP) said if the resolution was approved by the committee, it would
really damage relations between Turkey and the United States.

03 March 2010, Wednesday

THE ANATOLIA NEWS AGENCY WASHINGTON