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ANKARA: Armenia and Turkey-EU Relations

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  • ANKARA: Armenia and Turkey-EU Relations

    Journal of Turkish Weekly
    Oct 1 2005

    Armenia and Turkey-EU Relations


    Kemalettin SUKOCA (YEREVAN and ANKARA) - Armenian Foreign Minister
    Vartan Oskanian said that "If Turkey wants to join the EU it should
    become like the other member states: settle problems with the
    neighbors and reconcile with its past".

    Speaking about the European Parliament's (EP) resolution on Armenian
    allegations, Vartan Oskanian said that discussion of "Armenian issues
    will have positive impact on improvement of Armenia-Turkish
    relations". "If Turkey wants to join the EU it should become like the
    other member states: settle problems with the neighbors and reconcile
    with its past", the foreign minister said labeling the resolution
    "positive and natural as it should have been".

    Ironically Armenia has thorny relations with its all neighbors except
    Iran. And Armenia is the only European country who occupies another
    European countries territories. The experts on Caucasus say that the
    Armenian irredentism threat Georgian territorial integrity. Armenia
    does not recognise neighboring Turkey's and Azerbaijan's national
    borders. Armenia has only good relations with Iran and Russia in the
    region.

    `TURKISH MEMBERSHIP IS GOOD FOR THE ARMENIANS TOO

    Davut Sahiner told the JTW that a EU member Turkey would be very
    beneficial for the Caucasus including Armenia. Armenian economy would
    be integrated into the European markets. Moreover a EU member Turkey
    will contribute to solve the Armenian problem, including the
    allegations regarding the 1915 events'. Turkey Armenians strongly
    have supported Turkey's EU membership with the Greek minority in
    Turkey. The Leader of the Armenian Church in Turkey urged the EU
    leaders to support Turkey's EU membership. Mesrob II also said that a
    failure in Turkey's membership process would harm regional stability.
    Mesrob II also wrote a letter to the 25 EU foreign ministers, who
    will hold an emergency meeting Sunday.

    Similarly Dr. Sedat Laciner said that Turkey's EU membership will
    guarantee Armenia's security in the region. `Armenians does not feel
    themselves in a secure region. This is a perception. In fact no state
    plans to attack Yerevan. However as a result of this perception,
    Armenia has always been a conflict environment. No investor likes to
    make investment to such a country. Moreover Armenia spends a lot to
    militarization while Turkey and Azerbaijan has lured great foreign
    investment. If Turkey becomes EU member, Armenia, Georgia and
    Azerbaijan will be neighbor to the European Union. Possibly all these
    three countries will follow Turkey in near future. The Turkish people
    expected that the Armenians would be the first nation to support
    Turkey's EU membership. Armenians in Turkey did actually. However the
    Diaspora Armenians have made anything possible to undermine Turkish
    EU bid. I think they cannot see what is good for Armenia and
    Armenians, or they intentionally try to prevent Turkey's membership,
    because if Turkey enters the EU, the nature of the Armenian problem
    would change a lot. The Diaspora institutions could not abuse the
    problems. And finally a solution to Armenian issue will make many
    poor in diaspora `Armenian Issue industry'.

    Kemalettin SUKOCA (JTW)
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