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PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT GIVES A PUBLIC LESSON TO TURKISH MINSTER
Mediamax News Agency
Feb 8 2012
Armenia
Yerevan/Mediamax/. The President of the European Parliament Martin
Schulz advises Turkey to "face his own history".
Martin Schulz said this at a joint press conference with Turkish
Minister for the EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis,
Mediamax reports. The Zurich public prosecutor's office has launched
an initial investigation into Egemen Bagis over the public denial of
the Armenian Genocide.
"You should face your own history and you should allow independent
inquiries about your history. If the independent inquires come to
the conclusion that it was Genocide, you should recognize it," said
Martin Schultz.
Egemen Bagis said that "in 2005, the Turkish Prime Minister wrote in
a letter to the Armenian President to which the Armenian side so far
has not responded positively.
He also said that "Turkey is ready to establish international committee
of historians and scholars and to accept their findings, as long as
those findings are based on archives not only of Turkey and Armenia,
but also other countries involved, including Germany who was one of
the Turkish best allies in 1915. Also UK, Russia, France, USA."
Mediamax notes that it was not accidental that Bagis mentioned Germany
in a special context, as the President of the European Parliament
Martin Schulz is German.
"We are politicians; we have responsibilities in shaping the future,
not the past. Politicians should not steal the role of the historians
who should study history and make judgments," Bagis added.
However, Martin Schultz gave a different recommendation:
"As German and especially as German president of multinational
parliament, I have to live every day with our past, which is not easy
past. It is a very difficult one. Demons of the past are lasting until
today, every day I am confronted with the past of my country. But my
country, and I am proud of this, during six decades is facing its own
history; is recognizing not to be guilty - because our generation is
not guilty for the crimes committed in the past. But we are responsible
to avoid that it could happen once more. To be as open as possible
to the past is the best way to the future."
Mediamax News Agency
Feb 8 2012
Armenia
Yerevan/Mediamax/. The President of the European Parliament Martin
Schulz advises Turkey to "face his own history".
Martin Schulz said this at a joint press conference with Turkish
Minister for the EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis,
Mediamax reports. The Zurich public prosecutor's office has launched
an initial investigation into Egemen Bagis over the public denial of
the Armenian Genocide.
"You should face your own history and you should allow independent
inquiries about your history. If the independent inquires come to
the conclusion that it was Genocide, you should recognize it," said
Martin Schultz.
Egemen Bagis said that "in 2005, the Turkish Prime Minister wrote in
a letter to the Armenian President to which the Armenian side so far
has not responded positively.
He also said that "Turkey is ready to establish international committee
of historians and scholars and to accept their findings, as long as
those findings are based on archives not only of Turkey and Armenia,
but also other countries involved, including Germany who was one of
the Turkish best allies in 1915. Also UK, Russia, France, USA."
Mediamax notes that it was not accidental that Bagis mentioned Germany
in a special context, as the President of the European Parliament
Martin Schulz is German.
"We are politicians; we have responsibilities in shaping the future,
not the past. Politicians should not steal the role of the historians
who should study history and make judgments," Bagis added.
However, Martin Schultz gave a different recommendation:
"As German and especially as German president of multinational
parliament, I have to live every day with our past, which is not easy
past. It is a very difficult one. Demons of the past are lasting until
today, every day I am confronted with the past of my country. But my
country, and I am proud of this, during six decades is facing its own
history; is recognizing not to be guilty - because our generation is
not guilty for the crimes committed in the past. But we are responsible
to avoid that it could happen once more. To be as open as possible
to the past is the best way to the future."