‘THIRD PARTIES SHOULDN’T INTERFERE IN DISCUSSIONS OF HISTORICAL GRIEVANCES,’ SAYS IRISH PRESIDENT

Tert.am
12:20 ~U 24.03.10

Underlining the historical aspect of friendly relations between the
Irish and Turkish nations, visiting Irish President Mary McAleese
stated on Tuesday that her country is very well aware that third
parties should not interfere in discussions related to historical
grievances of nations, such as the killings of Anatolian Armenians
during World War I, reports Turkish news source Today’s Zaman.

McAleese arrived in Turkey late on Monday for a five-day official
visit, the first presidential visit between the two countries. At a
joint press conference with her Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul,
following talks at the Cankaya presidential palace, the visiting
president was asked about her stance on the Armenian Genocide.

"Beyond everything, the Irish know – more than all other people who
live on this planet – what it means to have our memories of history
shattered. People may voice different views regarding incidents which
took place in history. Therefore, as a country which knows this,
Ireland is one of the main countries which know to stay out of these
kinds of debates," McAleese was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news
agency in response.

McAleese noted that the Irish understand the grief over those lost,
as well as the importance of the healing process and the preservation
of memories, adding that Ireland supports all efforts to this end
and encourages friendship, in an apparent reference to the ongoing
normalization efforts between Armenia and Turkey.

Furthermore, the Irish president reaffirmed her country’s firm support
of Turkey’s bid to become a full European Union member.

"Ireland has always supported Turkey’s full membership in the EU
right from the beginning," she said.

For his part, Gul thanked the Irish president for her country’s
strong support of Turkey’s EU bid, while expressing confidence in
the continuation of this support.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress