11 October 2004
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian on Monday said Turkey should not be allowed at this time to open accession talks with the European Union, a statement reflecting the lingering poisonous atmosphere between the two countries over the issue of the 1915 genocide of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire.
“At this time Turkey is not worthy of being authorised to begin negotiations for entry into the European Union,” Oskanian said at a press conference in the Armenian capital, citing Ankara’s refusal to recognize the genocide of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
The massacres of Armenians during World War I is one of the most controversial episodes in Turkish history.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen were killed in massacres or deportations between 1915 and 1917.
Turkey categorically rejects claims of genocide and says that between 250,000 and 500,000 Armenians were killed in civil strife when the Armenians rose up against their Ottoman rulers.
Armenia’s foreign minister also said he was worried that by accepting Turkey as a member, the EU would close its eyes to the fact that Ankara has kept its border with Armenia closed since 1993.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia to support Baku in its war against Yerevan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, a mainly Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan.
A close ally of Azerbaijan, Turkey has declined to establish diplomatic ties with Armenia and remains bitter at the country’s efforts to secure international condemnation of the early 20th century killings of Armenians as “genocide”.
The European Commission has given a conditional green light to launch Turkey’s EU membership negotiations but will make a final decision about a starting date at a summit on December 17.
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