Turkey brings up formation of history commission to investigate Genocide

November 18, 2011 - 17:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - France's foreign minister today said that his country could host a Turkish-Armenian joint history commission meeting.

Alain Juppe defined 1915 Genocide as a challenging issue, and all countries were making a memory homework about their history.

Such a memory homework could be done in a history commission, Juppe told a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara.

Juppe also noted France may host a joint history meeting.

The French foreign minister also stated that a significant progress could be made in such a meeting, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Davutoglu, for part, said Turkey had accepted Juppe's call for establishment of a joint history commission.

"We are ready to discuss our own history and other countries' history in an atmosphere of mutual respect and freedom," he said.

Davutoglu said however, Turkey was against laws and resolutions that would make its self-defense impossible, and noted that there was such a resolution at the French Senate today.

"Implementation of this resolution is against French intellectual tradition and freedom of thought," Davutoglu said.

Davutoglu said Turkey would welcome any initiative from France regarding establishment of a joint history commission between Turkey and Armenia, and hoped that it would contribute to Turkish-Armenian rapprochement and normalize relations.