EP Recognizes Armenian Genocide, Urges Turkey to Confront It
The European Parliament (EP) approved the resolution on the Armenian Genocide with the vote held yesterday.
The EU Parliament, stating Armenia and Turkey should make use of the 100th anniversary of the genocide to normalize diplomatic relations, open borders and ease economic integration, urged Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Members of the EP called Armenia and Turkey to draw upon “examples of successful reconciliation between European nations”. Pope Francis’ genocide message was also praised.
The EP had invited all members of the EU on March 13 to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Akdoğan: “This is chitchat”
Deputy PM Yalçın Akdoğan reacted to the EU Parliament’s decision over Twitter. “The EP with its latest nonessential decision removes any gravity its word might have had. One does not treat important issues through chitchat. If the EP has any sagacity, power, or vision it should stop dwelling on historical nonsense and start taking a stance on current events,” wrote Akdoğan.
Foreign Ministry: We return this document
The Foreign Ministry also issued a written statement saying the decision could damage Turkey’s relationship with the EU. Deeming the resolution “laughable, inconsistent”, the Ministry wrote: “Members of the European Parliament would do better to confront their own history before they take up the 1915 issue, especially their role and responsibility in WWI and WWII, humanity’s worst catastrophe.”
“We do not take seriously those who approve this text that massacres history and the law. EU citizens’ participation rate of 42% in the 2014 elections shows in itself this Parliament’s place in EU’s political culture. We return this exceptionally ‘inconsistent’ text to the institution in question to place among documents it will not want to remember in the future.
Articles of the resolution
According to Agos news site, the eight articles of the adopted resolution are as follows:
* We commemorate with European solidarity and the spirit of justice, 1,5 million innocent Armenians on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
* The tragic events that were exercised against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the years 1915-1917 count as genocide, according to the definition in the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide.
* We propose an international genocide commemoration day.
* The prevention and punishment of genocide and crimes against humanity should be the primary duty of the international community and the European Union.
* We regard President Erdoğan and PM Davutoğlu’s condolence messages to be on the right track, and believe that opening up the archives, confronting the past, and recognizing the Armenian Genocide can be an important chance for reconciliation between the people of Armenia and Turkey.
* We invite Turkey to take precautions to preserve Armenian cultural heritage.
* We invite Armenia and Turkey to reconciliation and collaboration in this normalization period.
* We request this proposal to be sent to the governments of Armenia, Turkey, and EU member states.
Click here to read this article in Turkish.
