06 09 06 - EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: "THE RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS A PREREQUISITE FOR TURKEY'S ACCESSION"

Strasbourg, September 5 - The European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) voted late last evening on the Eurlings report on "Turkey's
progress towards accession" and its 343 amendments. This mostly critical report of Turkey was adopted by 53 votes, with 6 against and 8 abstentions.

With regard to the question of the Armenian Genocide which was constantly discussed during the debates, a majority of MEPs from the main political groups (EPP, PSE, ALDE, GUE) adopted two similar amendments which reiterates its call on Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide as a precondition forits accession.

In addition, the AFET "strongly condemns the racist and xenophobic 'Talaat Pasha committee' [.] for gravely infringing European principles, and the
denialist demonstrations in Lyon and Berlin" organised by those same organisations. It calls on Turkey to abolish this committee and end its
activities.

The European Armenian Federation informs that the AFET also adopted a compromise amendment disputed by many MEPs, which expresses a whole series of obscure proposals such as the opening of the Turkish archives and reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey.

The AFET committee also invites Turkey "to establish, without preconditions, good neighbourly relations with Armenia and to end the economic blockade and
to open the land border [.] in order to fulfill the priorities of the Accession Partnership and the obligations defined within the Negotiating
Framework".

"It is a victory for the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) which confirms that it can resist the pressures of Ankara. We congratulate the rapporteur
and the many members of Parliament who reaffirmed the political line of the Parliament, which consists in making the recognition of the Genocide into a
prerequisite for accession," declared Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.

"However, we regret the amendment called he 'compromise amendment', which in fact only copied the position of some isolated MEPs who still support
Ankara in its attempt to deny the Genocide and to escape the political problem that it constitutes," continued Hilda Tchoboian.

The European Armenian Federation will continue its consultations with all the MEPs before the vote in the plenary session of the European Parliament,
which will take place at the end of September.

V.V