EU COMMISSIONER FOR ENLARGEMENT CALLED TURKEY TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net - Mr. Olli Rehn, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement stated that Turkey should normalize relations with Armenia and open the Armenia border. In his words, the opening of the border is profitable for the eastern regions of Turkey. However he noted that the recognition of the "events of 1915-1916" is not a precondition for opening membership negotiations with Turkey. He regretted over the fact that the Turkish authorities forbade the Armenian Genocide conference in the Bosphorus University, Istanbul. The EU Commissioner noted that the EU has adopted rigorous negotiation rules for Turkey. According to him, taking into account the previous experience of the organization "more attention will be paid to real steps and deeds than to commitments and words, Mediamax agency reported.