‘Turkey must recognise genocide’
The Daily Telegraph, UK
(Filed: 28/09/2005)
Turkey has rejected demands by the European Parliament that it recognise the
killing of Armenians as genocide before it can join the EU.
Armenians say that up to 1.5 million of their people were slaughtered in
mass killings under the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
But the Turkish government insists that the killing of Armenians was not a
systematic genocide. They maintain that a smaller number of Armenians died,
and that they perished unintentionally because of exposure, famine and
disease.
The request has angered Ankara, and the Turkish prime minister immediately
rejected the resolution.
“That resolution is not binding. It does not matter whether they took such a
decision or not. We will continue on our way,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told
private CNN-Turk television.
Turkey has also come under pressure to recognise the Greek-speaking Republic
of Cyprus, an EU member, in the run up to membership talks.
Other issues of contention are Ankara’s record on human rights, religious
freedom and its treatment of minorities.
The resolution requesting the recognition of the genocide came as the
European Parliament backed the opening of EU entry talks with Turkey, due to
start Monday Oct 3.
They are largely a formality, but the approval of talks is seen as a
positive step.
There are concerns within the EU about Turkey joining the bloc. French and
Dutch voters recently rejected a planned EU constitution, in part over
concerns about the country’s bid for membership.
The largely Muslim country has been trying to join the EU for years.
The issue of Cyprus caused the lawmakers to postpone a planned vote on
Turkey’s extended customs union with the EU. They want Turkey to open its
ports and airports to traffic from Cyprus.
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