TURKISH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER SAYS 1915 INCIDENTS SHOULD BE SOLVED BY HISTORIANS
Journal of Turkish Weekly
May 6 2010
Turkey’s parliament speaker said on Thursday that historians should
solve the conflict over the incidents of 1915.
Delivering a speech during his meeting with Erika Forster-Vannini,
speaker of Switzerland’s Council of States, Turkish Parliament Speaker
Mehmet Ali Sahin said that Swiss authorities’ imposing punishment on
those denying the incidents of 1915, was a disappointing act.
Referring to Switzerland’s hosting an important meeting last October
for the solution of the problems between Turkey and Armenia, Sahin
said, "Protocols aiming at normalization of relations between the
two countries were signed in Switzerland. We are grateful for that.
However, Switzerland’s still imposing punishment on those denying the
incidents of 1915 is a disappointment for us. Because, incidents of
1915 is an issue that needs to be solved by historians".
Expressing the importance of inter-parliamentary relations, Sahin
said countries nowadays used parliamentary diplomacy to improve their
relations and Vannini’s visit to Turkey was of great importance in
this respect.
Guest parliament speaker Vannini said in her part that she was proud
to lead the first ever Swiss parliamentary group visiting Turkey.
Noting Turkish and Swiss parliaments should strengthen their relations,
Vannini said a Turkish-Swiss Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group would
soon be established and it would hold its first meeting on June 8.
Vannini also said Turkey and Switzerland had certain problems that
could not be neglected. "However, any MP can bring an issue to the
agenda of the parliament or submit a motion on such matter in our
system. Parliamentarians have such a right," she said.
Commenting on the incidents of 1915, Vannini said Swiss laws had an
article on punishing the individuals denying the incidents.
Pointing to the decision on the establishment of a commission of
historians on such matter, Vannini said her country was proud to have
hosted the signing process of the protocols between Turkey and Armenia.