(Combined Sources)–French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier again stressed that Turkey must recognize the Armenian genocide before it joins the European Union (EU).
Reminding that Turkey has 15-20 years of negotiations before membership to the EU–Barnier said that if Turkey–at the conclusion of those mandatory talks–still denies the Armenian genocide–then it can not become an EU member.
"We must consider that even after that [negotiations]–France’s constitution requires that Turkey’s entry into the EU must be approved via a national referendum," Barnier said. "Turkey must be aware of the fact that it’s not Europe joining Turkey; rather Turkey aspiring to join the EU.
Barnier has consistently said that Turkey must come to terms with its past–and the genocide of Armenia’s by the government of the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the 20th century.