Yerevan, June 20. ArmInfo. The Armenian Assembly today commended longtime Armenian issues supporter, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), for urging the European Union (EU) to press Turkey to meet its accession criteria, properly recognize the Armenian Genocide and end its ongoing blockade against Armenia.
The congressional correspondence, addressed to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and signed by nearly two dozen lawmakers, states that Turkey’s progress towards establishing guarantees for democracy, rule of law, human rights and respect and protection of minorities remains wholly inadequate.
The bipartisan letter states in part: “Of particular concern is Turkey’s lack of interest in considering improvements in areas that are of paramount importance for the integrity and credibilty of Turkey’s bid for membership. Principal among such areas is the question of Turkey’s diplomatic recognition of Armenia, and the removal of its blockade, as a major impediment to regional security and development in the South Caucasus. Equally critical is Turkey’s abilty to end its official policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide, and come to terms with its genocidal legacy.”
“It’s time for Turkey to get serious about meeting its European Union accession criteria,” Maloney said. “I hope that the EU will make very clear to Turkey during these talks that it must remove its blockade against Armenia and end its official policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide.”
The United States has called upon Turkey to restore economic, political and social ties with Armenia, while the European Parliament has adopted a resolution urging Ankara to open its border with Armenia, and recognize the genocide, as a precondition to membership to the EU. The Armenian government, in principle, has never opposed any negotiated outcome to Turkey’s accession talks with the EU.
Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian has been quoted as saying, “Armenia has never been against Turkey’s accession to the European Union. We only said that the process of accession and the demands put forward by the European Union must be the same for all candidate countries.”
Kocharian has added that EU-candidates “should establish good relations with all their neighbors and recognize the pages of their history no matter how difficult they are.”
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