PRESS RELEASE
EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
for Justice and Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
Website :_Eafjd_
( es/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=3D2694&qid=3D19245 8)
Monday, 10 December 2007
EUROPEAN COUNCIL: TURKEY’S AUTOMATIC ACCESSION QUESTIONNED
The European Armenian Federation calls upon the citizens of Europe to
demonstrate on December 14 in Brussels
The Permanent Representatives of the 27 Member States didn’t succeed
last week in reaching an agreement on the draft conclusion that have
been adopted by the conference of their Ministries of Foreign Affairs
this Monday, December 10th.
The French request to establish a `Council of Wise Men’ was accepted
by the 27 representatives, under the guise of a `Reflection Group,’
dedicated to considering the future of the Union. The sub-text however
dissipated into argument over whether the ultimate goal of negotiation
concerning Turkey should include the term `accession’. France, who
openly opposes use of the term and Sweden, who is greatly in favour,
clashed and as a result discussions regarding consumer protection and
trans-European networks may be postponeddespite plans to hold them
with the Turkish minister of Foreign Affairs on the 18th of December.
These disagreements now question the conclusion that will be adopted
by the European Council on the 14th.
The European Armenian Federation is of the view that by altering the
basic essence of these negotiations from one of automatic accession to
`accession or privileged partnership,’ is a positive move. It reopens
the political debate on the key issue of whether Turkeys uniting with
the Democracies of Europe is indeed a natural progression for the
Union itself.
`Even if today, the Europeans have not yet defined the clear content
of what would be the `privileged partnership’, we know however that
Turkey will try to obtain a maximum of privileges from the EU and that
it will confer it exorbitant leverages and that it will reinforce its
economic and military power’ commented Hilda Tchoboian, the
chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.
The Federation recalls that the Second Convention of European
Armenians (15-16 October 2007, European Parliament) expressed in its
final declaration the Armenian position on relations between Turkey
and the EU. The forthcoming demonstration on December 14 in Brussels,
will provide the opportunity for European citizens to restate their
attachment to the moral value of Justice without which the European,
will be unable to stand.
`Whatever the final outcome, accession or privileged partnership, the
Council will have to take the responsibility to set Union ethics at
the very heart of its relationship with Turkey. We must voice our
concerns to the European leaders so that they set forth the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide among their demands,’ concluded
Tchoboian.
The European Armenian Federation calls upon the citizens of Europe, as
well as the NGOs and Armenian associations in Europe to come en masse
to Brussels on December 14 to take part in this demonstration.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
