CIS

Home page

CIS

Armenian Foreign Ministry: â€œ The fact of the Armenian Genocide is not negotiableâ€

24 March 2010 07:43 (UTC +04:00)

Baku - APA. â€œThe fact of the Armenian Genocide is not negotiableâ€, said head of Media Relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Tigran Balayan, commenting on the statement by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to establish a "historical commission", APA reports quoting Novosti Armenia.

"Armenia is not discussed and will not discuss the fact of Genocide", - said Balayan. To him, in the minutes of the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, provides for a subcommittee, which will restore trust between the two countries.
The program of the First channel "Posner" U.S. Secretary of State said that Armenia and Turkey have agreed on the organization of the historical commission, which "would deal with all matters relating to the past."
Armenian Genocide of 1915 is the first genocide of the twentieth century. Turkey has traditionally rejected the accusations in the massacre of nearly a half million Armenians during the First World War and extremely sensitive to criticism from the West to question the Armenian genocide.
The fact of the Armenian Genocide is recognized by many countries, particularly Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, the lower house of parliament in Italy, the majority of U.S. states, parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Belgium, Wales, Swiss National Council, the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada and the Sejm of Poland. Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide is celebrated annually on April 24.
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey, Nalbandian Davutoglu October 10, 2009 in Zurich have signed a protocol on establishing diplomatic relations and Protocol for the development of bilateral relations. Documents must be approved by the parliaments of both countries, after which provides for opening of Armenian-Turkish border. At the moment the documents submitted for ratification in Armenia and in Turkey.
Armenian-Turkish border has been closed since 1993 on the initiative of official Ankara. The complex relationship between the two countries were due in particular to support Ankara’s position of Azerbaijan in the Karabakh issue, as well as an acute reaction to Turkey’s process of international recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire.