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PRESS RELEASE
Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands (FAON)
24 April Committee
for the recognition and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide of 1915
Weesperstraat 91
Web: http://www.24april.nl
Petition to the Senate concerning recognition of Armenian Genocide
The Hague - On 28 June, the 24 April Committee for the Recognition and
Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide will offer a petition to the Dutch
Senate (at 1:15 p.m., entrance of the Senate). In this petition the
Committee, which is an organ of the Federation of Armenian Organisations in
the Netherlands (FAON), requests of the Senate to express itself, among
others, on the recognition of the Genocide on 1.5 million Armenians during
World War I. The House of Representatives already recognised the Armenian
Genocide on 21 December 2004, by unanimously adopting the motion presented
by Mr. Rouvoet. This motion was welcomed by the government as expressed by
the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Bot.
If the Senate also reaches such a statement, the entire Dutch government
(the legislature) will have expressed itself.
Furthermore, the petition requests to take an absolute critical position
against Turkey's hard-running denial policy. This denial policy and its
consequences on freedom of expression and rights of minorities (which, as
known, are part of the Copenhagen criteria) must be taken seriously by
Europe and have consequences for the date on which accession negotiations
can start. One can mention the threat of author Orhan Pamuk (who in an
interview spoke of the genocide and now has to live in hiding ), the DVD of
the Turkish Chamber of Commerce, provided for free with Time Magazine under
the misleading pretense of tourist information, but which mainly contained a
political propaganda documentary based on the Turkish denial policy, and
also the remarks of the Turkish Minister of Justice concerning a conference
on the Armenian question in Istanbul that had to be cancelled afterwards for
security reasons.
It is important for the Senate to continuously raise the Armenian issue at a
European level, within the framework of motion Rouvoet, and critically
question and incite Europe to more action in relation with Turkey. As such,
Prime Minister Erdogan's "call" to forming an Armenian and Turkish
commission of historians right before the ninetieth anniversary of the
Armenian genocide, was not unmasked by Europe or Minister Bot as a publicity
stunt to divert the attention of the commemoration. The incredibility of the
call were plain from the beginning. On the one hand, from the many remarks
around that time that Turkey is proud of its history and that no genocide
had taken place, it appears that there is no basis in Turkey for such a
commission. On the other hand, from Turkey's refusal to allow for the
activities of such a commission to work under normal conditions, such as
diplomatic relations and the lifting of the border blockade between both
countries.
The President of the Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs Mr. van Gennip
will receive the petition.
Omitted: Contact information. Available upon request.
Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands (FAON)
24 April Committee
for the recognition and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide of 1915
Weesperstraat 91
Web: http://www.24april.nl
Petition to the Senate concerning recognition of Armenian Genocide
The Hague - On 28 June, the 24 April Committee for the Recognition and
Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide will offer a petition to the Dutch
Senate (at 1:15 p.m., entrance of the Senate). In this petition the
Committee, which is an organ of the Federation of Armenian Organisations in
the Netherlands (FAON), requests of the Senate to express itself, among
others, on the recognition of the Genocide on 1.5 million Armenians during
World War I. The House of Representatives already recognised the Armenian
Genocide on 21 December 2004, by unanimously adopting the motion presented
by Mr. Rouvoet. This motion was welcomed by the government as expressed by
the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Bot.
If the Senate also reaches such a statement, the entire Dutch government
(the legislature) will have expressed itself.
Furthermore, the petition requests to take an absolute critical position
against Turkey's hard-running denial policy. This denial policy and its
consequences on freedom of expression and rights of minorities (which, as
known, are part of the Copenhagen criteria) must be taken seriously by
Europe and have consequences for the date on which accession negotiations
can start. One can mention the threat of author Orhan Pamuk (who in an
interview spoke of the genocide and now has to live in hiding ), the DVD of
the Turkish Chamber of Commerce, provided for free with Time Magazine under
the misleading pretense of tourist information, but which mainly contained a
political propaganda documentary based on the Turkish denial policy, and
also the remarks of the Turkish Minister of Justice concerning a conference
on the Armenian question in Istanbul that had to be cancelled afterwards for
security reasons.
It is important for the Senate to continuously raise the Armenian issue at a
European level, within the framework of motion Rouvoet, and critically
question and incite Europe to more action in relation with Turkey. As such,
Prime Minister Erdogan's "call" to forming an Armenian and Turkish
commission of historians right before the ninetieth anniversary of the
Armenian genocide, was not unmasked by Europe or Minister Bot as a publicity
stunt to divert the attention of the commemoration. The incredibility of the
call were plain from the beginning. On the one hand, from the many remarks
around that time that Turkey is proud of its history and that no genocide
had taken place, it appears that there is no basis in Turkey for such a
commission. On the other hand, from Turkey's refusal to allow for the
activities of such a commission to work under normal conditions, such as
diplomatic relations and the lifting of the border blockade between both
countries.
The President of the Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs Mr. van Gennip
will receive the petition.
Omitted: Contact information. Available upon request.