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Noyan Tapan News Agency
Sept 23 2005
TURKEY HAS NEVER MET EU MEMBERSHIP STANDARDS, PARTICIPANTS OF
CONFERENCE IN EUROPARLIAMENT UNDERLINE
BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The conference
"December 2004-October 2005: Has Turkey Saved Itself Today?" held
jointly on September 22 by the Christain Democratic Party and the
European-Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy caused great
interest in the European Parliament. According to the information
provided to NT by the Federation, more than 200 participants from 15
EU member states, including representatives of various organizations
and the mass media, attended the conference.
The opening address of the Vice Speaker of the Europarliament Ingo
Friedrich (CDP, Germany) was followed by some 15 speeches focusing on
the EU admission, human rights (with a special stress on speech
freedom), the denial of the Armenian Genocide, the Kurdish problem,
and the process of Turkey's joining the EU as perceived by European
public opinion. Numerous parliamentarians representing various
political forces of Europe reminded that Ankara has never met the EU
membership standards both regarding the Armenian and Cyprus issues.
Hot debates took place with the participation of Pierre Mirel,
representative of the EuroCommission's General Directorate for
Enlargement Issues, especially in connection with the existing wide
gap between the EuroCommission's view and the European public
opinion. In particular, parliamentarian M. Triantaphyllides (Cyprus)
stated that "he trusts European citizens rather than the Commission."
Vahan Hovhannisian, Vice Speaker of the RA National Assembly,
stressed the threat of destabilization in Caucasus concerning
Turkey's aggressive policy with respect to Armenia.
"On the eve of October 3 (NT: the day on which the negotiations for
Turkey's joining the EU started) the Commission appealed to the EU
political leaders to be vigilant. They should respond to the
Europeans' increasingly pressing demand with transparent decisions of
the Commission and the Council regarding the terms of Turkey's
admission," said Hilda Chobanian, Chairwoman of the European-Armenian
Federation for Justice and Democracy.
Sept 23 2005
TURKEY HAS NEVER MET EU MEMBERSHIP STANDARDS, PARTICIPANTS OF
CONFERENCE IN EUROPARLIAMENT UNDERLINE
BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The conference
"December 2004-October 2005: Has Turkey Saved Itself Today?" held
jointly on September 22 by the Christain Democratic Party and the
European-Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy caused great
interest in the European Parliament. According to the information
provided to NT by the Federation, more than 200 participants from 15
EU member states, including representatives of various organizations
and the mass media, attended the conference.
The opening address of the Vice Speaker of the Europarliament Ingo
Friedrich (CDP, Germany) was followed by some 15 speeches focusing on
the EU admission, human rights (with a special stress on speech
freedom), the denial of the Armenian Genocide, the Kurdish problem,
and the process of Turkey's joining the EU as perceived by European
public opinion. Numerous parliamentarians representing various
political forces of Europe reminded that Ankara has never met the EU
membership standards both regarding the Armenian and Cyprus issues.
Hot debates took place with the participation of Pierre Mirel,
representative of the EuroCommission's General Directorate for
Enlargement Issues, especially in connection with the existing wide
gap between the EuroCommission's view and the European public
opinion. In particular, parliamentarian M. Triantaphyllides (Cyprus)
stated that "he trusts European citizens rather than the Commission."
Vahan Hovhannisian, Vice Speaker of the RA National Assembly,
stressed the threat of destabilization in Caucasus concerning
Turkey's aggressive policy with respect to Armenia.
"On the eve of October 3 (NT: the day on which the negotiations for
Turkey's joining the EU started) the Commission appealed to the EU
political leaders to be vigilant. They should respond to the
Europeans' increasingly pressing demand with transparent decisions of
the Commission and the Council regarding the terms of Turkey's
admission," said Hilda Chobanian, Chairwoman of the European-Armenian
Federation for Justice and Democracy.