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EAFJD: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION IS TURKEY'S MORAL, LEGAL AND POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY
PanARMENIAN.Net
17.07.2008 17:45 GMT+04:00
Recently elected Armenian President Serge Sargyan made overtures to his
counterpart in the Turkish Government this week, inviting President
Abdullah Gul to join him in Armenia's capital Yerevan to watch the
upcoming soccer match between Turkey and Armenia on September 6th, says
the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD).
Sargsyan also renewed the offer, made by previous Armenian presidents,
to establish normal diplomatic relations with the Turkish Government,
with no preconditions. The announcements were made in a peace of
opinion published in The Wall Street Journal earlier this week, which
also called for the creation of an inter-governmental "commission to
comprehensively discuss all of the complex issues affecting Armenia
and Turkey".
To date, Turkey has not responded to Sargsyan's proposal. Turkey
is continuing its devastating 15-year blockade of Armenia, imposed
due to racial hostility stemming from the Armenian Genocide of
1915-1923. Turkey continues to make false accusations as to the
reasoning for the blockade - blaming everything from the Karabakh
conflict to articles in the Armenian Constitution.
The European Armenian Federation noted that Armenia's call for the
unconditional removal of Turkey's blockade is a matter of international
law and would be beneficial to both countries as well as the region
and international community overall. As such, the Federation calls
upon the European Union to increase its pressure on Turkey, which, as
a candidate for European Union accession, is duty-bound to peacefully
resolve all disputes with neighboring countries in compliance with
International law, as mandated in the Framework of Negotiations.
"The scholarly community has long since spoken on this issue. The
International Association of Genocide Scholars has gone so far as
to send an open letter to the Turkish Prime Minister to express the
pointlessness of such a commission. Turkey itself scuttled a similar
committee because that group properly characterized the Armenian
Genocide" said Hilda Tchoboian, the president of the European Armenian
Federation.
The Federation regrets that Turkey continues its behind-the-scenes
efforts to tie the establishment of normalized relations with Armenia
with international genocide recognition and reparations - a genocide
of which Turkey is guilty.
"The recognition of genocide and the reparations that follow is a
moral, legal and political responsibility that no State can escape,"
continued Tchoboian. "At this point, the only question that remains is
when Turkey will face that fact, stop living in the past, and rejoin
the international community by recognizing the Armenian Genocide,"
she concluded.
PanARMENIAN.Net
17.07.2008 17:45 GMT+04:00
Recently elected Armenian President Serge Sargyan made overtures to his
counterpart in the Turkish Government this week, inviting President
Abdullah Gul to join him in Armenia's capital Yerevan to watch the
upcoming soccer match between Turkey and Armenia on September 6th, says
the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD).
Sargsyan also renewed the offer, made by previous Armenian presidents,
to establish normal diplomatic relations with the Turkish Government,
with no preconditions. The announcements were made in a peace of
opinion published in The Wall Street Journal earlier this week, which
also called for the creation of an inter-governmental "commission to
comprehensively discuss all of the complex issues affecting Armenia
and Turkey".
To date, Turkey has not responded to Sargsyan's proposal. Turkey
is continuing its devastating 15-year blockade of Armenia, imposed
due to racial hostility stemming from the Armenian Genocide of
1915-1923. Turkey continues to make false accusations as to the
reasoning for the blockade - blaming everything from the Karabakh
conflict to articles in the Armenian Constitution.
The European Armenian Federation noted that Armenia's call for the
unconditional removal of Turkey's blockade is a matter of international
law and would be beneficial to both countries as well as the region
and international community overall. As such, the Federation calls
upon the European Union to increase its pressure on Turkey, which, as
a candidate for European Union accession, is duty-bound to peacefully
resolve all disputes with neighboring countries in compliance with
International law, as mandated in the Framework of Negotiations.
"The scholarly community has long since spoken on this issue. The
International Association of Genocide Scholars has gone so far as
to send an open letter to the Turkish Prime Minister to express the
pointlessness of such a commission. Turkey itself scuttled a similar
committee because that group properly characterized the Armenian
Genocide" said Hilda Tchoboian, the president of the European Armenian
Federation.
The Federation regrets that Turkey continues its behind-the-scenes
efforts to tie the establishment of normalized relations with Armenia
with international genocide recognition and reparations - a genocide
of which Turkey is guilty.
"The recognition of genocide and the reparations that follow is a
moral, legal and political responsibility that no State can escape,"
continued Tchoboian. "At this point, the only question that remains is
when Turkey will face that fact, stop living in the past, and rejoin
the international community by recognizing the Armenian Genocide,"
she concluded.