ANKARA: Armenian patriarch lends support to Turkey´s EU bid

Star, Turkey
Dec 17 2004

I advocate Turkey's membership in the European Union, said Armenian
Orthodox Patriarch Mesrob II yesterday. Mesrob emphasized that EU was
not a Christian club. "Parliaments of the EU member countries do not
make decisions according to the doctrines of the Bible, and the
Turkish Parliament does not make its decisions according to the
Koran," Mesrob II said. Asked about expatriate Armenians pushing
recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide as a condition for
Turkey's EU membership, Mesrob II said, "The disaster in 1915 is an
issue which can be abused. To this end, foreigners will raise this
issue when they have the opportunity. But we should defuse its
potential for exploitation by beginning dialogues on the issue, both
official and unofficial." /Star/