YEREVAN (Yerkir)–ARF Bureau Member Mario Nalbandian met with the Secretary General of the Party of European Socialists (PES)–Philip Cordery–at the organization’s headquarters.
The two Socialist leaders spoke about the political situation in Armenia–Turkey’ accession to the European Union (EU)–and the EU’s "New neighborhood Wider Europe" policy.
After a brief presentation about the ARF–Nalbandian discussed the ARF’s role in the governmental coalition–stressing the party’s aim of promoting stability and democracy.
Regarding Turkey’s European Union candidacy–Nalbandian noted the importance of the recognition of the Armenian genocide by Turkey during the negotiations between Brussels and Ankara. He said that "this issue is not emotional–but rational."
He explained that Turkey’s aggressive policy against Armenia and Armenia’s is linked to the genocide itself–and asked the Party of European Socialists to closely scrutinize Turkey’s actions as part of the broader effort to guarantee the security and stability of the South Caucasus.