EP calls for Turkish-Armenian reconciliation
by Roni Alasor and Lorin Sarkisian
Brussels, 19 March 2015 - Middle East Diplomatic (MED) - On the occasion of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a resolution “paying tribute to the memory of 1.5 million Armenian victims and calling Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide”.
“Armenia and Turkey should use this centenary to open all archives, to achieve genuine historic reconciliation, to renew diplomatic relations and to open the border between the two countries”, says the EP in the resolution adopted by vast majority today.
The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) encourage Turkey and Armenia to “use examples of successful reconciliation between European nations and to focus on an agenda that puts cooperation between peoples first”.
During the debate in plenary, French, German, Spanish, Italian and other Members mentioned as well the regretful colonialist past of their countries and two World Wars, stressing the necessity for Turkey as well to face and admit its past and to reach reconciliation.
MEPs told that “the EP resolution should not be perceived as historic judgement, but as an effort of Europe to help both countries re-establish their relations and find a common solution”.
MEPs also criticised EU “to give 4 billion Euro to Turkey, while the country doesn’t cover the international democratic standards and its education-school books are far from the European values”.
Background: The EP has already recognized in 1987 that the tragic events that took place in the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian population in 1915-1917 represent genocide as defined in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948.
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