Turkish expert: Armenian-Turkish dialogue deepens
15.03.2011,
23:49
Armenian-Turkish dialogue deepens and obtains new colors, considers the head of Turkish research center of EU Bahçeşehir university Cengiz Aktar.
YEREVAN, March 15. /ARKA/. Armenian-Turkish dialogue deepens and obtains new colors, considers the head of Turkish research center of EU Bahçeşehir university Cengiz Aktar.
“Approach to many issues and the situation in Turkey is changing gradually… We should understand that the Turkish society has changed after the start of the process of claiming to enter EU”, he said in the press-conference devoted to Genocide of Armenians.
The conference was organized by the union “Yerkir”, Institute of Caucasus and the Fund of Friedrich Bell. Participants of the conference discuss the perspectives of recognition of Armenian Genocide by Turkish government and the society.
The events taking place in Turkey and Armenia bring to the formation of new situation. Turkey “found” Armenia only in 1991 after the declaration of independence of Armenia. Since then and till 1993 when the Armenian-Turkish border was closed, Armenians and Turks started to get acquainted with each other but with the closure of the border everything finished.
At present Aktar is confident that gradually relations between Armenian and Turkish societies widen. Turkey restores Armenian cultural monuments, publish books, organize discussions on the relations with Armenia, number of cities where remember the victims of 1915 increase (Genocide of Armenians). If the last year memorial actions were organized in two, this year they will be organized in six cities.
Process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations started in 2008 by the initiative of the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. On October 10, 2009 Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Turkey signed two protocols in Zurich “On the regulation of diplomatic relations” and “On the development of mutual relations” which should have been ratified by the parliaments of both countries.
But on April 22, 2010 Sargsyan signed a decree on the termination of the process of ratification of Armenian-Turkish protocols announcing that Turkey is not ready to continue the process. Ratification process of documents by Turkish Parliament is frozen. --0--
“Approach to many issues and the situation in Turkey is changing gradually… We should understand that the Turkish society has changed after the start of the process of claiming to enter EU”, he said in the press-conference devoted to Genocide of Armenians.
The conference was organized by the union “Yerkir”, Institute of Caucasus and the Fund of Friedrich Bell. Participants of the conference discuss the perspectives of recognition of Armenian Genocide by Turkish government and the society.
The events taking place in Turkey and Armenia bring to the formation of new situation. Turkey “found” Armenia only in 1991 after the declaration of independence of Armenia. Since then and till 1993 when the Armenian-Turkish border was closed, Armenians and Turks started to get acquainted with each other but with the closure of the border everything finished.
At present Aktar is confident that gradually relations between Armenian and Turkish societies widen. Turkey restores Armenian cultural monuments, publish books, organize discussions on the relations with Armenia, number of cities where remember the victims of 1915 increase (Genocide of Armenians). If the last year memorial actions were organized in two, this year they will be organized in six cities.
Process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations started in 2008 by the initiative of the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. On October 10, 2009 Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Turkey signed two protocols in Zurich “On the regulation of diplomatic relations” and “On the development of mutual relations” which should have been ratified by the parliaments of both countries.
But on April 22, 2010 Sargsyan signed a decree on the termination of the process of ratification of Armenian-Turkish protocols announcing that Turkey is not ready to continue the process. Ratification process of documents by Turkish Parliament is frozen. --0--
