Turkey's joining EU will force it to correctly assess its past

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia doesn't stand against Turkey's membership in the European Union, Armenian President Robert Kocharian said during a meeting with the students of the Yerevan State University. Armenia will have a predictable and firm neighbor in this case, he said. "Turkey's joining EU will force it to correctly assess its past but it should fulfill the EU's conditions. I should mention that the issue is more pungent for European states than for Turkey itself. Europeans do not want to have a state with different culture and faith in their family," Robert Kocharian underscored.



The RA President said acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey is on Armenia's foreign agenda. "Let them keep the border closed as long as they wish. We will not abandon the demand to recognize the Armenian Genocide. At that we by no means bind recognition with the claim for lands or any other compensation. These are different things. In international structures Turkey connects these two aspects, saying "if Turkey recognizes Genocide, Armenia will claim lands". We can speak of compensations only," the RA leader said.