Anadolu Agency, Turkey
March 11 2010

Turkish president says Armenian resolutions by US, Swedish MPs harmful

Isparta, 11 March: Turkey’s president said on Thursday [11 March] that
he hoped everybody would see the inaccuracy of the political decisions
on Armenian allegations regarding the incidents of 1915.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul replied to questions of reporters
during his visit to the office of the mayor of southwestern Isparta
Province.

Upon a question on a recent resolution adopted by a US Congressional
panel and a similar decision to be discussed by the Swedish parliament
regarding the Armenian allegations on incidents of 1915, Gul said such
decisions had no respectability for Turkish nation.

"All these decisions are wrong and they constitute a great injustice
to the science of history," he said.

Gul said that politicians and people who did not have any historical
knowledge should not decide on matters related to history.

"I attach importance to peace, stability and cooperation. Therefore,
solution of the problems in the Caucasus region is important for me,"
Gul said.

"I hope everybody will see the inaccuracy of such political decisions,
which will harm peace and stability in the long term," the Turkish
president added.

The US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted a
resolution on Armenian allegations related to the incidents of 1915 in
a voting of 23-22 last week.

Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols on 10 October 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 subcommission 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 12
January 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.