European Parliament Calls On Turkey To Recognize Armenian Genocide As Precondition For Accession

On Monday, September 4th, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs issued a report that calls on Turkey to "reinvigorate" the reform process and recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915 as a precondition for accession to the European Union.

The report by the European Union's legislative body will be debated by the entire Parliament during its plenary session of 25-28 September. Specifically mentioned in the approved draft report are Turkey's "persistent shortcomings" in areas such as freedom of expression, religious and minority rights, the role of the military, among others.

Official reaction from Turkey was naturally quick in coming. Mr. Namik Tan, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, was quoted as saying, " It is obvious that the European Parliament's report on Turkey focused on issues which have nothing to do with common sense and objectivity". As an example he mentions issues like the so-called Armenian genocide. Elsewhere, Turkey's Permanent Member to the E, Volkan Bozkir, expressed dismay regarding the report, saying that it may harm Turkey -E.U. relations.

(Pokr Mher: Such political maneuvering eerily reminds one of the infamous 1923 Treaty Of Lausanne when the European powers and Turkey agreed to "conveniently" ignore the crime of genocide that Turkey perpetrated against Armenian and other so-called minority peoples in the name of mutually beneficial economic and strategic interests. Is one to believe that some 80 years later either Turkey or Europe are ready and capable of assuming the moral highground on this and related issues???)