AKSAM - Retired Ambassador Coskun Kirca writes on the recent EP report regarding EU relations with the South Caucasus, under the partnership and cooperation agreements. A summary of his column is as follows:
The European Union Parliament recently adopted two decisions on Turkey. In one of them it calls on us to recognize the Armenian allegations that a genocide took place and to normalize all relations with Armenia. Turkey cannot accept this decision. During World War I, a majority of the Armenians living in eastern Anatolia betrayed the Ottoman Empire and supported the Russian Army; perpetrated massacres in Turkish towns and villages; and received a response in kind from the locals; in other words, mutual massacres took place. To put an end to these clashes, the Ottoman government could find no solution other than relocating the Armenians living in those areas to Syria and Lebanon. It has been proven that a document claiming that the Ottoman government ordered massacres was a complete fraud. However, the parliaments of our friends(!) turn a blind eye to this fact with the hope of getting votes of the Armenian diaspora. The recent decision of the EP goes one step further and not only calls on us to accept that our ancestors commited the crime of genocide, but also forgets that Armenia currently occupies 20% of the Azerbaijan's territory and is the aggressor according to the UN charter, and requests that Turkey normalize its relations with Armenia. There could not be a more aggressive decision ignorant of the facts. The Turkish Grand National Assembly has responded immediately to this careless report. The second EP decision concerns the ongoing trial for the closure of People's Democratic Party (HADEP). This is nothing new. It is a well-known fact that European circles would like Turkey to permit ethnic and religious factionalism. According to these circles, parties which are demanding independence for certain ethnic groups must be allowed. The EP is implementing this stance only for HADEP at the moment. It is clear that Turkey will not accept such a condition under these circumstances. TheTurkish representative at the European Convention, Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, stated that as these were only recommendations they did not have any power of sanctions and that these decisions would not hamper Turkey's efforts to become an EU member. However, the fact is that we cannot trust the EU on any of our international problems. We must be aware of the fact that the aim of EU's inconsiderate actions is to divide Turkey in the name of democracy. If we take a glance at the way events are developing, it does not seem a distant prospect that Turkey will clearly state to the EU that the cost of being an EU member cannot be the secular, national and unitary Republic.!
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION