Post by Bozur on Apr 17, 2005 18:26:41 GMT -5
Greek Armenians doubt that Turkey has EU mentality
By Karolos Grohmann - Reuters
Armenians in Greece, preparing next week to mark what they say was the Turkish genocide of their people 90 years ago, said yesterday that Turkey is still a long way away from becoming a true European nation.
Greece has one of the largest and oldest Armenian communities in Europe, numbering more than 55,000 people. The Armenian National Committee of Greece says some 1.5 million Armenians died between 1915 and 1923 and wants Turkey to recognize the massacres as genocide before it joins the European Union.
Turkey, due to start EU entry talks on October 3, rejects the claim, saying Armenians were victims of a World War I partisan conflict in which Christian Armenians also killed many Muslim Turks.
“Imagine if Germany persistently denied ever having committed the holocaust against the Jews, but still wanted to be a member of the EU. What kind of respectability would Germany have in Europe then?” Committee Chairman Kasbar Karabetian told Reuters in an interview.
“We have doubts that Turkey is determined to implement European reforms because a modern European nation first reconciles itself with its past. That is the true essence of a democratic European state,” Karabetian said.
The committee has organized rallies, speeches and exhibitions on April 24 to mark the 90th anniversary of the deaths and draw attention to Turkey’s EU bid. More protests are planned in September ahead of Ankara’s accession talks.
Ankara on Wednesday offered to open its archives and called on Armenia to do the same and back a new probe into the claims.
Armenians have settled in Greece since the mid-18th century and enjoy close ties to Greeks. More than 1 million ethnic Greeks left Turkey together with many Armenians from 1922 in a population exchange following Greece’s failed invasion of Turkey and annual Armenian commemorations are enshrined in Greek law. “The Greeks, who have had a similar fate with us, understand our plight better than anyone,” Karabetian said.
He said if Turkey joined the bloc it would benefit both Greece, which has backed Ankara’s EU bid, and Armenia, which has no diplomatic ties with Turkey.
“First, we want Turkey to stop being the Turkey of today as we know it and become a Turkey with a true European mentality,” Karabetian said.
The European Parliament and France, home to Europe’s largest Armenian community, have both urged Ankara to recognize the killings as genocide.
www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=55224
By Karolos Grohmann - Reuters
Armenians in Greece, preparing next week to mark what they say was the Turkish genocide of their people 90 years ago, said yesterday that Turkey is still a long way away from becoming a true European nation.
Greece has one of the largest and oldest Armenian communities in Europe, numbering more than 55,000 people. The Armenian National Committee of Greece says some 1.5 million Armenians died between 1915 and 1923 and wants Turkey to recognize the massacres as genocide before it joins the European Union.
Turkey, due to start EU entry talks on October 3, rejects the claim, saying Armenians were victims of a World War I partisan conflict in which Christian Armenians also killed many Muslim Turks.
“Imagine if Germany persistently denied ever having committed the holocaust against the Jews, but still wanted to be a member of the EU. What kind of respectability would Germany have in Europe then?” Committee Chairman Kasbar Karabetian told Reuters in an interview.
“We have doubts that Turkey is determined to implement European reforms because a modern European nation first reconciles itself with its past. That is the true essence of a democratic European state,” Karabetian said.
The committee has organized rallies, speeches and exhibitions on April 24 to mark the 90th anniversary of the deaths and draw attention to Turkey’s EU bid. More protests are planned in September ahead of Ankara’s accession talks.
Ankara on Wednesday offered to open its archives and called on Armenia to do the same and back a new probe into the claims.
Armenians have settled in Greece since the mid-18th century and enjoy close ties to Greeks. More than 1 million ethnic Greeks left Turkey together with many Armenians from 1922 in a population exchange following Greece’s failed invasion of Turkey and annual Armenian commemorations are enshrined in Greek law. “The Greeks, who have had a similar fate with us, understand our plight better than anyone,” Karabetian said.
He said if Turkey joined the bloc it would benefit both Greece, which has backed Ankara’s EU bid, and Armenia, which has no diplomatic ties with Turkey.
“First, we want Turkey to stop being the Turkey of today as we know it and become a Turkey with a true European mentality,” Karabetian said.
The European Parliament and France, home to Europe’s largest Armenian community, have both urged Ankara to recognize the killings as genocide.
www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=55224