Élysée Treaty can help mend Armenia-Turkey ties: experts

PanARMENIAN.Net - A group of intellectuals claimed the Élysée Treaty could be taken as an example to repair Turkey and Armenia’s diplomatic ties, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Istanbul Şehir University hosted a two-day conference titled “Turkish-Armenian Relations in the Light of the French-German Experience” on the 50th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty.

Academic Ferhat Kentel of Istanbul Şehir University said: “The Germans and the French wrote their history together. Why shouldn’t we do it as well? We should bear in mind that Turks and Armenians shared a common area in Anatolia.”

Academic Muzaffer Şenel says nations are ready to reconcile, and even though states have their red lines, people could urge their states.

“The wars between France and Germany were the main reason of centuries of war and destruction in Europe, but the Élysée Treaty in 1963 put an end to the enmity,” he said.

“We aim to have people pose some questions: What can we do in order for coexisting and reconciliation, taking the Élysée Treaty as an example?” Şenel said. “Yes, there is a bitter history but how can we turn this bitter history into a part of culture of living together?”

Şenel added that they consider carrying the project to Armenia if there is a demand, and voiced the Şehir University’s hope to host Armenian students as part of exchange programs.

Élysée Treaty also known as the Treaty of Friendship, was established by Charles de Gaulle of France and Konrad Adenauer of Germany on January 22, 1963 for reconciliation between the two countries. With it, Germany and France established a new foundation for relations that ended centuries of rivalry between them.

The treaty called for consultations between France and West Germany on all important questions and an effort to come to a common stance. Regular summits between high-level officials were also established.

Among the direct consequences of the Treaty are the creation of the Franco-German Office for Youth, the creation of Franco-German high schools and the twinning between numerous French and German towns, schools and regions.

The first meeting between the two heads of state took place at the private home of General de Gaulle at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises in September 1958. Since then French and German heads of state have kept up this strong relationship, often considered as the engine of European integration.