Turkey makes strange demands of Armenia to establish diplomatic relations

PanARMENIAN.Net - According to the European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, now Turkey is suffering the most crucial moment in the entire negotiation process, "however, if it continues actively carrying out European reforms, the country may be integrated into the EU in 10 years. We are waiting for the time when there will be freedom of speech for each person, and protection of the rights of women and minorities. Active efforts should be made for this. We shouldn't hope that these and alike problems will ever be solved on their own," announced Rehn.

The vice-chairman of the Bavarian Christian-Social Union and the representative of the European Parliament Ingo Friedrich spoke of the third possible way for the non-EU member countries. Likewise the Union for the Mediterranean, an East European Union may be established. According to him, Ukraine, Moldova and the countries of South Caucasus could be included in such a union. "At present the EU has exhausted all the possibilities of expanding, but leaving the European countries without prospective would be unfair," says Friedrich. The idea of establishing a Union for the Mediterranean has been first spoken of in March. Besides the EU member countries, a number of countries of the Mediterranean region will be included in it. Turkey, Libya, Lebanon, and Israel are among these countries. Regular conferences in the sphere of energy, migration, terrorism and trade are planned to be held. The Union will be officially declared about in July.

What concerns the normalization of the relations with Armenia, such opportunity is rather doubtful, if only Yerevan doesn't deny the recognition of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Turks, which is not to be expected. "The position of the Armenian side towards the dialogue with Turkey is still unclear, in spite of Ankara's calls to the start of a new era in the two-sided relations between the two neighboring countries, which presently do not have any diplomatic relations," writes Turkish Daily news in its article "Armenia is indifferent to the Turkish calls for dialogue." The author of the article mentions that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Ali Babacan congratulated the new Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia on his appointment. "Turkey is open to dialogue, and to the normalization of the Turkish-Armenian relations. There are no doubts that the relations of the two countries are not very healthy, but this can be solved via dialogue. We are open to it," said Babacan during a joint press-conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Ursula Plassnik. Earlier the Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandyan announced: "Regarding our relations with Turkey, we have announced more than once that we are ready for normalization of the relations without any precedent conditions. The Genocide is a black page in our history, and we must work together and turn this page and build our stable future. I would like to repeat that Armenia is ready for the normalization of its relations with Turkey without precedent conditions. Armenia will continue working towards this."

Turkish Daily News also quotes the words of an Armenian diplomat, who had preferred to remain anonymous, and who said that the calls for the dialogue must not be only in words, but in actions. "We are waiting for some actions," had said the Armenian diplomat, and then added, that Armenia keeps to its viewpoint regarding the normalization of the relations and opening the Armenian-Turkish borders without precedent conditions. "This is only one of the key factors. This is nonsense, when a country, being a candidate for the EU membership, keeps the borders with its neighbor closed," he said.

The newly elected president of Armenia Serge Sargsyan also mentioned that the recognition of the Genocide by Ankara is extremely important for Yerevan, but its denial shouldn't be a barrier in the relationship of the two countries. "We have always said and will say that Armenia is ready and willing to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey without any precedent conditions. It is Turkey, that sets rather strange demands to Armenia for establishing diplomatic relations," he said.

Meanwhile on April 21 the Committee for International Issues of the European Parliament held hearings on the traditional report about the "progress" in Turkey. The members of the Committee reviewed the project of the Resolution of the Dutch parliamentarian, as well as the 262 amendments in the document. The current document is not as laconic, as the one from last year, which was a gesture of a good will to the new government of Turkey, yet it is far from the expectations the Europeans have, since it reminds of the serious violations by the Turks. Like in the section "international relations", the project of the Resolution calls the Turkish government on abolishing the economic blockade and opening the borders with Armenia, but refrains from blaming Turkey. As for the issue of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the author avoids using the term "Genocide" and limits himself with 'the call to the Turkish and Armenian governments on starting the process of coming to an agreement over the present and past problems and the initiations of the debates of the historical events." "This wording definitely belongs to Ankara. The denial of reminding the Genocide means denying the Genocide itself," said the president of the Armenian Federation of Europe Hilda Choboyan. The EAFJD reminds that the position of the European Parliament, confirmed in 1987 and 2005, presupposes the recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a precondition for Turkey to be integrated into the EU. Meanwhile, Ankara has never reached any success in this issue, and any indulgence is interpreted by Turkey as a free way to carry on the policy of denial not only in Turkey, but in Europe as well. The 6 out of the 262 amendments have immediate connection to the Armenian case, in particular, to the problem of the Armenian Genocide.