Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

EU Relations Strained as Armenian Headache Gets Painful
by TURKISH Daily News, Turkish Probe issue 409 - 19 November 2000
Posted: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 09:04 pm CST

Turkey was focused on a discussion of how to handle political reforms, including the issue of broadcasting in Kurdish, when the European Parliament called on Ankara to 'recognize the [alleged] Armenian genocide.' Many in Turkey believe that the move would complicate membership efforts Some EU officials say Turkey's membership performance should be evaluated solely on the basis of the Copenhagen criteria, just like the other EU candidates. Authorities in Turkey similarly argue that the Armenian issue has no relevance to Turkish-EU relations

A positive climate pervaded Turkish-EU relations in the aftermath of announcing the long-awaited Accession Partnership Document that sets out the European Union's short- and medium-term demands from Turkey for membership. Even the last-minute reference to the Cyprus issue in the document did not discourage a detailed discussion of the reforms to be made on the way to membership. However, on Wednesday came the unexpected, and probably inappropriate, move of the European Parliament calling on Turkey to recognize a so-called Armenian genocide, thereby straining relations and causing some to question the very basis of Turkey's aspirations for becoming an EU member.

The phrase, which has also divided Parliament members over the last few days, reads, "The European Parliament calls on Turkey to increase its support to the Armenian minority, constituting a major portion of Turkish society, and to recognize, within this framework, the genocide Armenians were subjected to before the foundation of the modern Turkish state." Green and Greek parliamentarians and Christian democrats constituted the front supporting the inclusion of the "genocide" reference.

Parliament's resolution containing the "genocide" reference was not a legally sanctioned one, and as such, did not oblige the EU countries to take any steps in that regard. The unease in Turkey did not stem from a legal duty to be fulfilled; the issue was about the attitudes and the way the EU perceived Turkey. The fact that an important body of the EU has the view that Turks committed a genocide, a crime against humanity, is likely to weaken public support for EU membership.

Turkey's EU membership is not a problem-free process on the part of either Turkey or the EU. In Turkey there is a widespread consensus on the profitability of the membership but there is also a weighty group who have serious concerns over the cost of membership. This group, mainly comprised of right-wing political circles, primarily the coalition partner Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the military -- which has considerable weight in the functioning of Turkish politics -- may now begin to think that the cost of membership is too high.

So far, efforts waged by the Armenian lobbies have gotten underway in the legislative bodies of some Western countries, such as the United States, France and Italy. Efforts failed at the last minute in the U.S. House of Representatives, when a resolution was withdrawn after President Clinton's warning that relations with Turkey might be seriously harmed. In France and Italy, on the other hand, resolutions recognizing the alleged genocide are still awaiting final ratification.

The European Parliament's recent move, however, was a little different from the efforts in individual countries in that the Parliament is a body of the EU: Its taking up such a stance could be interpreted as an additional demand >From Turkey, though not legally sanctioned, if it were to become an EU member. This would be in addition to the political requirements known as the Copenhagen criteria which are to be fulfilled by all the candidates.

Ankara had previously welcomed the Accession Partnership Document and the political reforms set out in it but this time the government reacted angrily. A Foreign Ministry statement, issued immediately after the endorsement of the resolution in the European Parliament, stressed that Turkey would not accept any conditions for its EU membership going beyond the Helsinki conclusions. The statement said the reference to the alleged genocide had been prepared and endorsed by those who reject Turkey's membership on the grounds of religious antagonism.

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said the Parliament's decision was likely to harm Turkish-EU relations, claiming that the EU had "no right to call on our government or our Parliament on this issue." Ecevit said, "This kind of irresponsible behaviour is of the sort that will disrupt relations between Turkey and the EU."

Both the Foreign Ministry and Ecevit are known for their pro-membership attitude.

"This can only be perceived by Turkish citizens as a deliberate attempt to degrade the climate of our relations," said Nihat Akyol, Turkish ambassador to the EU in a statement. Akyol stated that the move was likely to strain the hitherto positive Turkish-EU relations at a critical time when the Accession Partnership Document had just been announced.

The Economic Development Foundation (IKV) said the decision to include the "genocide" reference has been brought about by the efforts of those in Europe who wish to exclude Turkey from the EU. The statement also emphasized that the allegations were unfounded.

According to Association of European Journalists' (AEJ) Executive Committee member Dogan Tilic, the Parliament's move could serve to strengthen the doubts of those who are already skeptical about the membership.

"A very delicate balance has existed in Turkey between the proponents of membership and those who have doubts about the membership bid," said Tilic. "The Parliament's move at such a critical juncture will definitely not help the EU proponents."

In addition to the criticism from Turkey there were EU authorities as well who weren't happy with the reference to the issue in terms of Turkey's membership performance. Rapporteur Philippe Morillon, who prepared the Turkey report, called on Turkey to not overreact and to continue with its dialog with the EU. Morillon abstained from voting on his own report, claiming that it had lost all its meaning after the Armenian reference was included in it.

The EU's commissioner responsible for enlargement, Gunter Verheugen, also warned Parliament members, saying that approval of the inclusion of the "genocide" reference might "block the way."

The non-binding resolution alone is hardly sufficient to block all paths. However, it is unfavorable enough to make a pessimist, taking into consideration that it may also set a precedent for efforts to get genocide allegations recognized in some Western countries such as France and Italy, think that it may well trigger a process which, in the end, could "block the way."

Related Information...

Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News Archives