Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The European Armenian Federation Inquiries The EU French Presidency

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • The European Armenian Federation Inquiries The EU French Presidency

    THE EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION INQUIRIES THE EU FRENCH PRESIDENCY

    armradio.am
    22.07.2008 13:10

    Turkey's application for membership and genocide denial focused among
    the threats that "protective Europe" fostered by the French presidency
    should address.

    The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy said that
    it took the opportunity of the EU French presidency (July to December
    2008) to draw the attention of Mr. Sarkozy, the French president and
    the new President of the EU, on the expectations and concerns of the
    European Armenian citizens.

    In its letter the European Armenian Federation addressed the big EU
    policies toward Turkey and the South Caucasus (Enlargement, European
    Neighbourhood Policy, and Black Sea Synergy) and, on the other hand,
    those related to genocide denial and racial hatred in the EU member
    States and in the applicant countries.

    About the Turkish problem, the Federation noticed in its mail
    that "the well-lubricated accession process steps forward without
    discontinuation, in contempt of the sovereign will of the European
    People as despite the refusal by Turkey to reform itself" and that
    this gives evidence of "a given leniency of the EU institutions
    towards the severe shortcomings of this candidate country".

    Therefore, the Federation calls upon the new EU President to "shape
    its opposition to Turkey's accession in clearly stating the unavoidable

    conditions that this country must fulfil," among which the requisite
    acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.

    Terming this recognition a "moral, juridical and political" obligation,
    the Federation said that such a momentum would be "emblematic"
    and would give evidence that Turkey can break her "aggressive State
    doctrine stemming from an ideology which disappeared in Europe since
    the end of World War II".

    "About the EU policy toward the South Caucasus, the Federation commends
    the "ever-increasing integration" of Armenia and its region in the
    European multilateral cooperation structures. It calls upon the
    French presidency to support the "Eastern dimension of the European
    Neighbourhood Policy" (ENP-Est) and the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly
    project. It terms as a "good strategic choice for the EU" the direct
    dialog with the South Caucasus states rather than "through structures
    involving other regional players."

    Tackling the EU Home policies, the Federation recalls the written
    pledge of presidential candidate Sarkozy (letter sent at the Federation
    on the 13 mars 2007) "to foster the emergence of a European consensus"
    on the pan European penalization of genocides denials, in the agenda
    of the then-to-be-adopted EU Framework-Decision fighting "against
    racism and xenophobia."

    "During the elaboration period of this project,=2 0we worked with the
    European Commission, Council and Parliament to promote the inclusion
    of the Armenian Genocide in the final wordings of this Framework
    Decision; Nowadays, we have succeeded," revealed Hilda Tchoboian,
    the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.

    Recalling the French draft law on penalising denial "pending in the
    Senate", the Federation urges President Sarkozy to keep this provision
    of the Framework Decision without restricting its scope, when it will
    be transposed in the French legislation, and to promote during the
    French presidency, a similar attitude for the transposition in the
    legislations of the 26 other member States.

    "In a nutshell, we ask the French Presidency to give a political and
    juridical content to its "Protective Europe" concept, in reinforcing
    the prevention and penalization measures against the genocide denial
    proliferation threat in European," concluded Tchoboian.
Working...
X