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TURKEY REBUFFS EUROPEAN UNION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
The Australian
April 16 2015
The European parliament has urged Turkey to use the centenary of
Ottoman-era massacres to "recognise the Armen-ian genocide" and help
promote reconciliation between the two peoples.
The parliament voted yesterday "by a wide majority", according to
the session chair, in favour of the resolution as tension grows over
the characterisation of the tragedy ahead of the 100th anniversary
of the 1915 killings of Armenians during World War I.
Ahead of the vote, Mr Erdogan said Turkey would ignore the resolution,
adding "it would go in one ear and out the other".
The parliament said it welcomed as a "step in the right -direction"
remarks by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and others "offering
condolences and recognising atrocities against the Ottoman Armenians".
Turkey wants to join the EU but its talks have stalled amid EU
misgivings over Ankara's human rights record and civil-society reforms
sought by Brussels.
Urging Ankara to go further, the resolution "encourages Turkey" to use
the anniversary "to recognise the Armenian genocide and thus to pave
the way for a genuine reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian
peoples". It also called on Ankara to open "archives and come to terms
with its past" while inviting "Armenia and Turkey to use examples
of successful reconciliation between European nations." In 1987,
the European Parliament described the killings as a "genocide".
The use of the word by Pope Francis on Sunday infuriated Ankara,
which rejects the term.
Armenia and Armenians in the diaspora say 1.5 million were killed by
Ottoman forces in a campaign to eradicate the -Armenian people from
what is now eastern Turkey.
Turkey says hundreds of thousands of Turks and -Armenians died as
Ottoman forces battled the Russian Empire for control of eastern
Anatolia during World War I.
Earlier, Mr Erdogan said: "Whatever decision the parliament makes
would go in one ear and out from the other because it is not possible
for Turkey to accept- such a sin or crime."
AFP
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/turkey-rebuffs-european-union-on-armenian-genocide/story-e6frg6so-1227306850048
The Australian
April 16 2015
The European parliament has urged Turkey to use the centenary of
Ottoman-era massacres to "recognise the Armen-ian genocide" and help
promote reconciliation between the two peoples.
The parliament voted yesterday "by a wide majority", according to
the session chair, in favour of the resolution as tension grows over
the characterisation of the tragedy ahead of the 100th anniversary
of the 1915 killings of Armenians during World War I.
Ahead of the vote, Mr Erdogan said Turkey would ignore the resolution,
adding "it would go in one ear and out the other".
The parliament said it welcomed as a "step in the right -direction"
remarks by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and others "offering
condolences and recognising atrocities against the Ottoman Armenians".
Turkey wants to join the EU but its talks have stalled amid EU
misgivings over Ankara's human rights record and civil-society reforms
sought by Brussels.
Urging Ankara to go further, the resolution "encourages Turkey" to use
the anniversary "to recognise the Armenian genocide and thus to pave
the way for a genuine reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian
peoples". It also called on Ankara to open "archives and come to terms
with its past" while inviting "Armenia and Turkey to use examples
of successful reconciliation between European nations." In 1987,
the European Parliament described the killings as a "genocide".
The use of the word by Pope Francis on Sunday infuriated Ankara,
which rejects the term.
Armenia and Armenians in the diaspora say 1.5 million were killed by
Ottoman forces in a campaign to eradicate the -Armenian people from
what is now eastern Turkey.
Turkey says hundreds of thousands of Turks and -Armenians died as
Ottoman forces battled the Russian Empire for control of eastern
Anatolia during World War I.
Earlier, Mr Erdogan said: "Whatever decision the parliament makes
would go in one ear and out from the other because it is not possible
for Turkey to accept- such a sin or crime."
AFP
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/turkey-rebuffs-european-union-on-armenian-genocide/story-e6frg6so-1227306850048