Erdogan: Allegations Regarding Armenian Genocide Are Totally Baseless

WARSAW (AA) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the allegations regarding Armenian genocide were totally baseless.
     Prime Minister Erdogan, who is currently in Polish capital Warsaw to attend the Council of Europe (COE) Third Summit of Heads of State & Government, held a news conference at the Royal Castle of Warsaw.
     Replying to a question about the allegations regarding so-called Armenian genocide, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''we have expressed our uneasiness clearly on numerous occasions. Those allegations are totally baseless. We have already opened all our archives. Now, Armenia and the other third countries should open their archives to historians, jurists and scientists. Then, we, as politicians, can evaluate the issue and make a decision. Turkey cannot accept such baseless allegations. No one can achieve anything by keeping such baseless allegations on top of agenda.''
     ''Future should be based on peace and affection instead of hatred and enmity,'' he stressed.
     Recalling that Turkey had recognized Armenia, Prime Minister Erdogan said that it was Armenia which failed to develop diplomatic relations. ''Also, the COE considered Armenia the occupier on the Upper Karabakh dispute. First, Armenia should withdraw from Upper Karabakh instead of putting forward such baseless allegations,'' he said.
     When recalled that Belgian Senate would debate a resolution envisaging consideration of rejection of so-called Armenian genocide a crime, Prime Minister Erdogan told reporters, ''I cannot understand an unrelevant country's making such a decision. If they accept the resolution, Turkey will launch a new initiative by approving similar resolutions against countries which had committed genocide in the past.''
     Upon another question about the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding Abdullah Ocalan, the head of terrorist organization PKK, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''the decision will be debated by the COE Committee of Ministers. Then, Turkish jurisdiction will take a decision. Turkish people have already closed the file of Ocalan in their conscience.''
     (UK)
2005-05-16