NORWAY: FATE OF ARMENIANS CAN’T BE POLITICAL ISSUE TODAY

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2010 15:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There is no doubt that the Armenians were victims
of massive atrocities in 1915, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said
in a statement.

"The Norwegian authorities have not taken a position on whether the
atrocities can be characterized as genocide in accordance with current
criteria. Nor do we believe there are legal grounds for doing so. In
our view, this tragedy is an important topic in historical terms,
but should not be a legal or political issue today," the Ministry said.

It said the concept of genocide was defined in international treaties
to which Norway is party but emphasized that the rules contained in the
treaties "do not apply retroactively." It also announced its backing
for talks between Turkey and Armenia to normalize their relations and
called for the ratification of protocols signed by the two countries
in October to happen as soon as possible, Today’s Zaman reported.