Turkey’s membership to EU is not problem for Armenia

20.04.2007
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Turkey’s membership to the European Union is not a problem for Armenia, even just the opposite. Armenia would benefit most of all if Turkey fulfilled those preconditions that the EU demands. It would mean an open border between Armenia and Turkey, improving protection of the Armenian minority in Turkey and their property, Turkish intellectuals could freely speak about the Armenian Genocide and EU’s borders would approach Armenia. What else we would like to wish?” Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian stated at the interview to Austrian newspaper Der Standart.

He expresses concerns saying that, “It looks like Turkey cannot be transformed,” “Obviously the country moves on the wrong way, after the assassination of Hrant Dink they even did not change the Penal Code article of “insulting Turkishness”. We also fear that the EU in the issue of Turkey’s membership will compromise and will accept a country without waiting for final transformations to take place there. Also we are concerned that the border with Armenia will continue to be closed. Our hope is the European Union. The Copenhagen criteria state that candidate-states must open their borders. Armenia is not mentioned there, instead our neighbor Turkey is mentioned. Ankara must open his borders. The EU must point to it as soon as possible, to improve political and economic situation in our region. We do not have clear answers for the motives of closing the borders. What’s the matter, in Azerbaijan, in Nagorno Karabakh, what else? The fact is that border is closed and it does not have any justification,” Vartan Oskanian underscored.

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