From: European Armenian Federation [mailto:contact@eafjd.eu]
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 2:13 PM
To: grassroots@turkishforum.com grassroots@turkishforum.com
Subject: The European Armenian Federation inquires the EU French Pres
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
Monday, 21 July 2008
Contact : Varténie ECHO
Tel. / Fax. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27
THE EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION INQUIRIES THE EU FRENCH PRESIDENCY
Turkey’s application for membership and genocide denial focused among the threats that « protective Europe » fostered by the French presidency should address.
The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy said that it took the opportunity of the EU French presidency (July to December 2008) to draw the attention of M. Sarkozy, the French president and the new President of the EU, on the expectations and concerns of the European Armenian citizens.
In a letter sent on the 3rd July, the European Armenian Federation addressed the big EU policies toward Turkey and the South Caucasus (Enlargement, European Neighbourhood Policy, and Black Sea Synergy) and, on the other hand, those related to genocide denial and racial hatred in the EU member States and in the applicant countries.
About the Turkish problem, the Federation noticed in its mail that “the well-lubricated accession process steps forward without discontinuation, in contempt of the sovereign will of the European People as despite the refusal by Turkey to reform itself” and that this gives evidence of “a given leniency of the EU institutions towards the severe shortcomings of this candidate country”.
Therefore, the Federation calls upon the new EU President to « shape its opposition to Turkey’s accession in clearly stating the unavoidable conditions that this country must fulfil”, among which the requisite acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.
Terming this recognition a “moral, juridical and political” obligation, the Federation said that such a momentum would be “emblematic” and would give evidence that Turkey can break her “aggressive State doctrine stemming from an ideology which disappeared in Europe since the end of World War II”.
« About the EU policy toward the South Caucasus, the Federation commends the “ever-increasing integration” of Armenia and its region in the European multilateral cooperation structures. It calls upon the French presidency to support the “Eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy” (ENP-Est) and the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly project. It terms as a “good strategic choice for the EU” the direct dialog with the South Caucasus states rather than “through structures involving other regional players”.
Tackling the EU Home policies, the Federation recalls the written pledge of presidential candidate Sarkozy (letter sent at the Federation on the 13 mars 2007) “to foster the emergence of a European consensus” on the pan European penalization of genocides denials, in the agenda of the then-to-be-adopted EU Framework-Decision fighting “against racism and xenophobia”.
“During the elaboration period of this project, we worked with the European Commission, Council and Parliament to promote the inclusion of the Armenian Genocide in the final wordings of this Framework Decision; Nowadays, we have succeeded”, revealed Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.
Recalling the French draft law on penalising denial « pending in the Senate”, the Federation urges President Sarkozy to keep this provision of the Framework Decision without restricting its scope, when it will be transposed in the French legislation, and to promote during the French presidency, a similar attitude for the transposition in the legislations of the 26 other member States.
“In a nutshell, we ask the French Presidency to give a political and juridical content to its “Protective Europe” concept, in reinforcing the prevention and penalization measures against the genocide denial proliferation threat in European” concluded Tchoboian.