ANKARA – ”It is not possible for Turkey to share some expressions of U.S. President George Bush in his statement released on April 24th. On the other hand, the reference to creation of joint commissions is positive,” said Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan on Tuesday.
Replying a question about President Bush’s statement on so-called Armenian genocide anniversary, Tan said, ”President Bush displayed his regular attitude of releasing a written statement on ‘Armenian remembrance day’ on April 24th this year as well. It is not possible for Turkey to share some assessments in the statement.”
”History can only be written and assessed on the basis of official documents. The resource is the archives,” he noted.
”Controversial part of Turkish-Armenian joint history can only be researched on scientific aspect, and the assessments can be made under the results of these researches,” he added.
Tan said, ”Thus, Turkey’s proposal (to Armenia) to investigate incidents before and after 1915 by a joint history commission (and to share results with people) can enlighten this period of history and normalize the relations between the two countries, and this initiative should be supported.”
U.S. President George Bush said in his statement (released on April 24th), ”today, we remember one of the horrible tragedies of the 20th century — the mass killings and forced exile of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in the final days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915. This was a tragedy for all humanity and one that we and the world must never forget. We mourn this terrible chapter of history and recognize that it remains a source of pain for people in Armenia and for all those who believe in freedom, tolerance, and the dignity and value of every human life. We encourage dialogues, including through joint commissions, that strive for a shared understanding of these tragic events and move Armenia and Turkey towards normalized relations.”
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