EU urges Turkey to face Armenian ‘genocide’

Turkey must recognise the Armenian genocide as a precondition for EU entry, senior MEPs have insisted.

In a vote on Monday evening, the European parliament's foreign affairs committee expressed regret that Turkey was not facing up to its past.

“The committee wants recognition of the Armenian genocide to be a clear pre-condition for EU entry and this will now be put to the plenary vote,” parliamentary rapporteur Camiel Eurling said on Tuesday.

Hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed in Turkey between 1915 and 1917 - but the Ankara government rejects the genocide claim.

The report sparked a huge discussion in the prominent parliamentary committee - with over 300 amendments filed.

Some MEPs fear Eurling’s report is serving to ignite anti-Turkish sentiment.

“As far as the European parliament is concerned, there are still many unhealthy prejudices about Turkey, with Turcophobes willing to seize upon any pretext to block the accession process,” UK Liberal Andrew Duff said in a statement.

“I will be trying to strengthen the parliament's appreciation of Turkey's potential contribution to the development of a common EU foreign, security and defence policy.”

This sentiment was echoed by Green MEPs. “The report adopted by the foreign affairs committee has once again raised the bar for Turkey, as regards the progress it has to make towards EU accession in a number of areas,” said a statement.

“If the demands on Turkey are made progressively tougher in every annual report, it creates the impression in Turkey that the European parliament is opposed to Turkey's accession to the EU.”

Freedom of expression

The Eurling report calls on Turkey to speed up key democratic reforms.

“We have seen a clear slow down in reforms and that is regrettable,” Eurling declared.

“Freedom of expression is a vital issue. We have welcomed Turkey’s modernisation of the penal code – in particular the decision to abolish the death penalty. But other articles of the code continue to be abused by judges.”

The centre-right Dutch politician called on Ankara to remove or amend articles that allowed judges to limit freedom of expression.

Cyprus

MEPs have also urged Turkey "to take concrete steps for the normalization of bilateral relations" with Cyprus "as soon as possible".

In July last year Turkey signed up to the Ankara agreement - extending customs union to the ten new EU member states including Cyprus.

But Eurling warned that the protocol has still not been implemented.

“It is important for the credibility of EU institutions that if Turkey signed the Ankara protocol that it is also implemented,” he insisted.

“It must be implemented by the end of 2006 otherwise we fear serious implications for the accession
negotiations.”

MEPs will vote on the amended report in a Strasbourg plenary session in three weeks time.

The European commission has reserved comment until the final vote but a spokesman, on Tuesday, described the report as a “valuable contribution”.

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