EUROPEAN SOCIETY CALLS ON EP NOT TO YIELD TO TURKEY’S PRESSURE
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.09.2006 14:16 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Civil Society issued a joint statement
on the Armenian Genocide issue within the context of Turkey’s accession
talks. The statement says,
"We, European citizens, follow up with a sustained attention the
Union enlargement process and especially the developments relating
to Turkey’s controversial candidature.
We took note of the report on "Turkey’s progress towards accession"
voted on Monday September 4 by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. We
particularly noticed with delight that the European Parliament
"reiterates its call on Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian genocide,
as called for in the previous European Parliament resolutions of 15
December 2004 and 28 September 2005" and "considers such acknowledgment
to be a precondition for European Union accession".
We were also informed about threatening pressures exerted on you
by Turkey and the disinformation campaign in order to remove this
mention. As citizens of the Union, we are absolutely indignant that
a foreign power with radically anti-European values can thus alter
the sovereign appreciation formulated by our European representation
on this issue.
This is why we take the liberty of reminding you the following facts:
1. The call for the Armenian genocide acknowledgment as a precondition
by the European Parliament does not constitute at all an additional
requirement towards Turkey. This requirement was clearly formulated
in almost the same wording, less than a year ago, in the resolution on
"opening the negotiations with Turkey":
"The European Parliament calls on Turkey to recognise the Armenian
genocide; considers this recognition to be a prerequisite for accession
to the European Union" (P6_TA(2005)0350, 28/09/2005); This formulation
is in the political line of those written in the preceding resolutions
of 18 June 1987 and 15 December 2004. To water down or to remove it
would constitute an obvious sign given to Turkey that the European
Parliament is on the point of denying its principles,
2. The fact that such a condition was not formally imposed to
other Candidate States does not constitute an argument proving its
non-admissibility. The application of other States even would not be
taken into consideration. The acknowledgement of its crimes by the
State who perpetrated it is an accession criteria,
3. The calls reiterated by the European Parliament concerning this
issue allowed the beginning of timid debates in Turkey. Weakening
these demands would constitute an objective support to nationalists
who want to eliminate in Turkey some dissident voices on this matter
and to keep Turkey away from our European standards,
4. Turkey, who claims to wish to debate on this question, still has
not answered to the Armenian president proposal which consists in
establishing an intergovernmental commission in order to examine how
to solve all the problems between the two countries and to create
diplomatic relations. On the other hand, Turkey continues to deploy
its denialist strategy in terms of historians committees and opening of
archives in order to extract the genocide question from the political
context of its candidature for the Union,
5. The denial policy of Turkey is not only a permanent offence to our
European values, it is also the mark of an ultranationalist and racial
ideology which constitutes a concrete threat towards our societies
and our children.
Communities throughout Europe which are watching with anxiety the
negotiating process with Turkey will be terribly disappointed seeing
the EP retreat from the very laudable position established by its
Foreign Affairs Committee on such a fundamental principle. We urge
you to come forward with a proud vote upholding the Parliament’s
commitment in this matter."
Consequently, we urge you to maintain in plenary session the clear
and adequate formulation of the paragraph 49 adopted by the Foreign
Affairs Committee."