EPP’s resolution on Armenian genocide to fuel tension between EU and Turkey – expert

On Tuesday the EPP adopted a resolution on the genocide of Armenians, condemning genocide acts against the Armenian people planned and committed by Ottoman Empire and other Turkish governments in 1894-1924. The document said the genocide acts resulted not only in the death and dispossession of more than two million human beings but also in the decimation of the Armenian patrimony, its ways of life, and its foundational contributions to Western culture and world civilization. 

Turkey’s response, according to the expert, will be negative, emotional and even aggressive. All the responses containing aggressive elements and imitation will be presented closer to April, Melkonyan said. 

Most probably, the Turkish state will respond to EPP’s resolution through an official statement made by its foreign minister, avoiding the main topic, according to the expert. 

Turkey’s Erdogan will take a destructive stance then and make statements threatening the EU and Europe, saying they will pick an alternative path if Europe continues giving lessons, Melkonyan said. 

“April 24 will turn into a sort of exam for the civilized world, particularly for Europe that is recognized as a democratic leader on the one hand, but is, on the other hand, an unwilled accomplice of the Armenian genocide, sometimes due to its silence and sometimes because of its supporting Turkey,” Melkonyan said.

The draft resolution on the Armenian genocide centennial was developed by the ruling Republican party of Armenia, together with the Country of Law and Heritage parties. 

Three Armenian parties - the Republican Party of Armenia, the Country of Law and Heritage were granted observer status with the European People's Party (EPP) in 2012 February. 

EPP is represented in all political institutions of the European Union, as well as in the Council of Europe. –0--