European Commission Report on Turkey Fails to Reflect Armenian Issues

PanARMENIAN.Net - This Wednesday, November 8th, the European Commission released its regular report on Turkey. The political dimension of the negotiation process has been removed from this document and is now included in a second report, entitled, "Enlargement strategy and the and Main Challenges 2006-2007." As for the Armenian issues, it should be noted that the regular report failed to denounce the denial campaign waged by Turkey, both on its own territory and throughout the Union. Previous mentions of the Genocide in previous reports - characterized euphemistically as "tragic events" - were not reflected in this new document. On freedom of speech, only Article 301 of the Turkish penal code was mentioned. The European Commission failed to denounce the other provisions of Turkish law aimed at freedom of speech, especially Article 305, which penalizes the affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. Finally, in the technical chapters related to the Acquis Communautaire, the illegal blockade of Armenia is described using the dismissive terminology, "closed border."



The European Armenian Federation is troubled by the Commission's failure to fairly and meaningfully address Armenian issues, particularly the issue of Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide. "The Commission's report, most notably it failure to challenge Turkey's many restrictions of freedom of speech, represents a true setback in terms of the credibility of this European institution, particularly in light of its eagerness to criticize France for its law penalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide," stated Hilda Tchoboian, the Chairperson of the

European Armenian Federation.



The Federation announced that the European citizens it represents expect the Commission to fairly and honestly perform its task of accurately assessing Turkey's progress, without bowing to political pressures. Otherwise, European public opinion will turn against the Commission's double standards," added Tchoboian. The Federation also denounces the arrogance of the Turkish leaders who attempt to force Europe to abandon its values. "The talks over Turkey's candidacy have devolved from a negotiation into a race to see which side can walk away from European values," she concluded, reports the EAFJD communication unit.