The Turkish Parliament urged the parliaments of third party countries not to disrupt the process of rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia with efforts to recognize the 1915-dated events as "genocide". "Politicians and parliaments cannot judge history, " said Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan.
"We have always warned the parliaments [of other countries] that such moves will not help the Turkey-Armenia talks. All responsible parliaments should now avoid hindering the ongoing process," Koksal Toptan Parliament Speaker told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review in an interview.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul was in Yerevan in a historic visit in September, paving the way to normalize relations between the two neighbors, who have had no diplomatic ties since the early '90s. Barack Obama's victory in the presidential race and his decision to appoint Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State worried Turkey, who fears a possible recognition of the 1915 incidents involving Armenian as genocide by the House of Representatives, because of the strong support both have voiced towards the Urmenian lobby.
Toptan recalled that France decided to halt discussing historical events in their parliament and praised the move as positive. "It's satisfactory to see that other parliaments have started to share our views on the matter," Toptan stated. Having already recognized the Armenian claims as "genocide", France had been discussing whether or not to prosecute those who denied the genocide for the last two years.
Turkey not prejudiced
Asked what the Turkish Parliament could do to help the reconciliation process with Armenia, Toptan said Parliament had no prejudices against Armenians and was ready to talk to them. "We will do whatever we can do in terms of contributing to the ongoing process," Toptan said.
Though he said they were not prejudiced against Armenians, Toptan emphasized the fact that Armenia still occupied territories of Azerbaijan. "I think Armenia's withdrawal from the Nagorno-Karabagh will surely have a positive impact on the process," he said. There are 70,000 Armenian people working in Turkey and many Turkish products are sold in Armenia, Toptan said, adding, "If we continue in this direction, there will be no issues left for the Armenian diaspora to abuse."
Toptan also had messages for his European counterpart who relentlessly criticized Turkey for slowing down the reform process. Arguing that the 2007 general elections reduced the country's motivation but had no negative impact on technical talks, Toptan said: "We are speeding up ... But the EU is not implementing its own obligations. It would be unfair to put the blame on Turkey. This country has made enormous reforms in recent years."
The EU harmonization packet, including 130 new laws, was brought to the agenda of the Council of Ministers and Parliament discussed the Turkish Trade Law, Toptan said.
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