September 23, 2005 - 12:56 AMT
TURKISH FM CONDEMNED CANCELLATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CONFERENCE
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul condemned on Friday the decision by a Turkish court canceling a conference on the Armenian Genocide. As reported by Yerkir Online, Gul voiced his concern that the court's decision would likely weaken Turkey's position on the eve of the Turkey-EU talks on Turkey's accession to the Union. The conference entitled " Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of the Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy" was scheduled to open today at the Bosphorus University in Istanbul. The organizers of the conference have called a meeting to coordinate their further actions, with an aim to hold the conference at a different university. The Turkish press, in turn, has raised their voice condemning the court's ruling, calling it a serious blow to the country's image. The decision, however, was welcomed by the members of the Turkish Retired Officers' Union, the chairman of the History Society and the Union of Lawyers, which have already rendered conferences.