Turkey-EU meeting delayed over Armenian Genocide issue

PanARMENIAN.Net - A planned joint parliamentary meeting between Turkey and EU representatives was postponed for a month due to lawmakers’ busy agenda, the Turkish co-chair of the joint commission has said, after a European lawmaker accused Ankara of delaying the event in order to avoid criticism, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission (KPK) Co-Chair Afif Demirkıran said a commission meeting scheduled for Feb 18 and 19 in Istanbul has been postponed to March because 25 KPK member lawmakers will have to attend discussions on the much-debated security bill in Ankara.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Demirkıran ruled out claims that the decision was politically-motivated and was a reaction to the change motions filed concerning the Progress Report on Turkey’s accession bid currently being prepared by the European Parliament.

Some 442 motions have been filed by European Parliament lawmakers to toughen the language of the report, including calls on Ankara to recognize the Armenian Genocide and removal the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from the EU’s terror list.

Demirkıran said the European Parliament’s Progress Report urged reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia, but stressed that Turkey rapporteur Kati Piri is “aware of Turkey’s red lines” on the issue.

A day before, one of the European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteurs, German Christian Democrat party member Renate Sommer, said Turkish side’s request for delay was “incomprehensible behavior.”

In a statement, Sommer suggested that the Turkish government backed away from the meeting because it feared possible reactions from European parliamentarians, particularly over the issues of press freedom and the ongoing Cyprus tension.

Hannes Swaboda, the leader of the Socialist group in the European Parliament, posted a message on his Twitter account, indicating the tensions between Ankara and Brussels.

“Cold climate in Istanbul - also politically. But we need to keep channels of discussion and dialogue open,” Swaboda tweeted.