TURKISH FM INFORMS PARLIAMENT OVER ARMENIA BILLS
March 15 2010
Turkey
Davutoglu informed the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs on
resolutions about the incidents of 1915, which were brought onto
agenda of parliaments of several countries.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu informed on Monday the
Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs on resolutions about the
incidents of 1915, which were brought onto agenda of parliaments of
several countries.
Davutoglu said members of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign
Affairs and Turkish-American Friendship Group members had a close
cooperation and conducted a good work in regard to developments at
the U.S. Congress.
Governments’ influence on parliaments should be increased, he said.
Relations between parliaments of several countries and members of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs should be improved, he said.
Turkish Ambassador in Washington, D.C. Namik Tan and Ambassadress in
Stockholm Zergun Koruturk also attended the meeting which was later
closed to press.
The U.S. 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 on March 4.
On March 11, Swedish Parliament also approved a similar resolution on
1915 incidents. The resolution was approved with 131 votes against 130.
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.