Associated Press
Sept 28 2005
Turkish premier rejects EU call for Ankara to recognize Armenian
killings as genocide
AP Worldstream; Sep 28, 2005
Turkey’s prime minister on Wednesday rejected a European Parliament
resolution calling on Ankara to recognize the mass killings of
Armenians around the time of World War I as genocide.
“That resolution is not binding. It does not matter whether they took
such a decision or not. We will continue on our way,” private
CNN-Turk television quoted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as
saying during a visit to Abu Dhabi. Turkey is scheduled to open
accession talks with the EU on Monday.
The EU lawmakers said in their resolution that recognition of the
1915-1923 killings as genocide should be a prerequisite for Turkey to
join the European Union.
Armenians say that 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks
around the time of World War I, which Armenians and several nations
around the world recognize as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey denies that the massacres were genocide, saying the death toll
is inflated and Armenians were killed in civil unrest as the Ottoman
Empire collapsed.
Speaking to Turkish reporters in Abu Dhabi, Erdogan also reiterated
his view that the EU has to admit Turkey or risk being branded a
“Christian Club.”
“The EU … has to prove that it is not a Christian Club. To say ‘the
EU is not a Christian Club’ won’t save it from becoming a Christian
Club,” Erdogan said.
“What will the EU achieve by admitting Turkey? It will become a
bridge between the 1.5-billion strong Muslim world and the EU. It
will start an alliance of civilizations,” he added.