GERMAN MEDIA: TURKEY FEARS ARMENIAN ISSUE TO PUT OBSTACLES IN WAY TO EU

PanARMENIAN.Net - "A chance to normalize the Turkish-Armenian relations was missed again", OÖN/Nachrichten online newspaper reported. Despite the fact that the 90-th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey was an occasion to normalize the Armenian-Turkish relations, the reconciliation failed. Turkey offered Armenia to form a joint historic commission, however Armenian President Robert Kocharian proposed to normalize relations first, what was rejected by Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At the same time the international community exerts pressure upon Turkey urging it to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Turkey's position on the Armenian Genocide complicates relations with Armenia. Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc rejected to meet with Polish parliamentarians in protest to the adoption of the resolution on the Armenian Genocide by the Polish Sejm. In his turn Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the Bundestag debates on the Armenian Genocide "will cloud the German-Turkish relations". Despite this Turkey still fears that the Armenian issue will negatively tell on Turkey's EU membership negotiations. Moreover, France requested the EU "to urge its aspirant to give a fresh estimate to the past". Presently about 450 000 Armenians including famous singer Charles Aznavour live in France. In his interview with Die Ziet the 80-year-old singer noted that he has been dreaming about the reconciliation of Armenia and Turkey for a long time. "The longer Turkey retracts the Genocide recognition the longer the past will pursue it", Charles Aznavour said.