KOCHARIAN: TURKISH SOCIETY BROUGHT UP ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION INERTIA IS HARD TO OVERCOME

PanARMENIAN.Net - "When speaking of the Armenian Genocide the matter should concern the late 19th -early 20th centuries. The events of 1915 is the biggest and most tragic episode of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire," President of Armenia Robert Kocharian stated in an interview with the Golos Armenii newspaper. In his words, for many decades the Turkish society has been brought up on denial of the Armenian Genocide and it is extremely hard to overcome the public perception inertia. "However, Turkey's urge towards accession to the EU provides for greater openness of the society, access to information, opportunity of discussion of complicated issues. These are exactly the tools by means of which the unbiased evaluation of one's history is formed. Nevertheless, I have some cautious optimism," he noted, adding that Turkey has activated "counter-propaganda" efforts regarding the Genocide problems. "However, I am sure that the outcome will be just the opposite of their expectations," R. Kocharian underscored.