April 27, 2005 - 09:04 AMT
EUROPE CANNOT FORGET BLOODY CRIMES OF PAST
Today's Europe cannot forget the bloody crimes or belittle its consequences and it should be clear to the Turkish parliament, an article placed at Deutsche Welle website says. The publication notes that the debates held in the Turkish parliament on the relations with Armenia can be viewed as progress. At the same time Turkish Prime Minister Racep Tayiip Erdogan proposed to form a joint historical commission and the stepwise improvement of the relations between the two states is being considered. However, the progress stops at this point. Turkey is not willing to cast a critical glance at its own history and does not fell either shame or compassion to the innocent victims. Instead of this Turkish politicians and publicists remind of the Turks perished during the rebellions of Christians and Turkish diplomats, who were killed by Armenian terrorists. But it is only a part of historical truth. Consequences of others' crimes cannot be belittled and own crimes cannot be justified. The Turkish society still reacts to the Armenian issue with stormy nationalism. Only a fair interpretation of historic facts, preferably to start in the school textbooks, can alleviate the tensed atmosphere between Armenia and Turkey. However debates in the Turkish parliament showed that even the political elite of the country is not ready for it. The recognition of the Armenian Genocide became actual in Europe with Turkey's bid for the EU, however the Genocide recognition does not appear as a condition for Turkey's EU membership. Nevertheless Europe expects Ankara to give estimate to the dark pages of its history. The European Union is not only an economic union but a union based on common human values.