At PACE session in Strasburg, Turkish President Abdullah Gul dismissed the genocide question raised by Armenian deputy Naira Zohrabyan, saying the Turkish government does not believe the term can be applied to the incidents during World War I.

He called for the establishment a historical commission to investigate 1915’s massacres of the Armenians and asked for all archives to be opened up. Recalling that he was the first Turkish president to visit Armenia, Gul said Turkey wants to normalize relations with its neighbor, also speaking in support of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

“As long as there are problems in this area, there will be a wall between Europe and Asia. If we solve these, the Caucasus would be a great gateway for prosperity,” he said to deputies from the 47 nations represented in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, according to Today’s Zaman.