"[T]he refusal by the present Turkish Government to acknowledge the Genocide against the Armenian people committed by the Young Turk government [represents an] insurmountable obstacle to consideration of the possibility of Turkey’s accession to the Community." –European Parliament resolution–July 18–1987
WASHINGTON–The European Delegation of the Armenian National Committee (ANC-EU) has called upon the European Parliament to strictly enforce its 1987 decision to deny Turkey membership in the European Union for as long as it denies the Armenian Genocide.
Below is the the complete text of the ANC-EU statement.
BRUSSELS–The European Delegation of the Armenian National Committee (ANC-EU) called upon the European Parliament today to strictly enforce its June 18–1987 resolution–"On a Political Solution of the Armenian Question," which cites Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide as an absolute prerequisite for its consideration for membership in the European Union.
The ANC-EU also calls upon the European Parliament to take decisive steps to protect the ancient Armenian architectural legacy which the Turkish government continues to destroy as part of its campaign to eliminate evidence of the presence of the Armenian nation on its historical territories.
In presenting these issues–the ANC-EU emphasized Turkey’s increasingly well-funded efforts to deny the Armenian Genocide through an international campaign which increasingly relies upon the use of political pressure and economic blackmail against governmen’s–political institutions and the media.
The ANC-EU also stressed Turkey’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid to Armenia.
Two members of the European Parliament have already taken advantage of written and spoken questioning procedures to address this matter to both the European Council and the European Commission. Marie Anne Issler Beghin (V Greens France) questioned the Council about the reasons behind the 1987 resolution as well as the European response to Turkey’s ongoing blockade of Armenia.
The Chairwoman of the Parliament’s committee on relations with the Transcaucasus states–Ursula Scheicher (PPE–CSU–Germany)–questioned both the European Commission and the Council of Europe about the steps they intend to take to lift Turkey’s blockade of Armenia.