EU Parliament insists on Armenian genocide recognition by Turkey
The European Parliament reiterated on Wednesday that Turkey’s accession to the European Union must be conditional, among other things, on its recognition of the 1915-1918 mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
By Emil Danyelian, Armenia Liberty, 28/9/2005
The EU legislature adopted by 356 votes in favor, 181 against and
125 abstentions a resolution that “calls on Turkey to recognize the
Armenian genocide” and “considers this recognition to be a prerequisite
for accession to the European Union.”
The resolution, which also demands that Ankara recognize Cyprus,
came ahead of membership talks between the EU and Turkey that are due
to open on Monday. It is not binding for the 25-nation bloc’s executive
European Commission and member governments. But it does reflect growing
unease about the prospect of a large Muslim country joining the EU.
It is not the first time that the European Parliament urges Turkey
to end its long-running denial of the Armenian genocide. All of its
previous genocide resolutions were angrily condemned by Ankara.
"That resolution is not binding,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said, reacting to its passage later on Wednesday. “It
does not matter whether they took such a decision or not. We will
continue on our way,” private CNN-Turk television quoted him as saying
during a visit to Abu Dhabi.
But the European Armenian Federation, a Brussels-based lobbying
group, was quick to welcome the Strasbourg-based parliament’s
statement. “This latest appeal by the European Parliament ahead of the
negotiations with Turkey must serve as a guideline for the European
Council and the European Commission,” its chairman, Hilda Tchoboian,
said in a statement.
“We therefore call on the EU foreign ministers to touch upon the
genocide issue during their meeting in Luxembourg on October 3,” she
added.
Of all the EU member states only France has so far demanded that
genocide recognition be a necessary condition for Turkish entry into
the EU. President Jacques Chirac expressed hope last December that the
Turks will do some “memory work” on the subject. But other EU officials
have made it clear that while genocide recognition could be on the
agenda of the upcoming accession talks it will not be a precondition
for their successful outcome.
Links:
www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2005/09/A64E43C5-E79C-4987-A010-655FABB0604B.ASP
