Tweet
ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS TURKEY MUST ACKNOWLEDGE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
TALLINN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS: Estonia's foreign affairs minister Urmas Paet said Turkey must recognize the Armenian genocide. In an interview with Postimis newspaper, he said 'every country has to be honest when speaking about its past. This applies to Estonia and Turkey.'
Paet also said Turkey could join the European Union. "When Eastern Europe was joining the EU some people predicted that it would empty as the population would move to Western European countries. Similar wrong forecasts are being now made about Turkey," he said. In a related development the Financial Times said European Commission will give Turkey two years to eliminate torture, establish freedom of religion and assert civilian control over the military if it wants to become a European Union member in ten years.
The British newspaper said it had seen a draft in which the European Commission will this month give Turkey a checklist of a nearly 150 short-term tasks for becoming an EU member. The draft document is aimed at easing EU voters- concerns about Turkey-s potential membership.
Turkey within the next year or two will have to 'ensure implementation... of the zero tolerance- policy against torture and 'to adopt a law comprehensively addressing all the difficulties faced by non-Muslim religious minorities and communities,' the daily said, citing the draft. The draft fills in the gaps left by last month-s decision to begin membership talks with Ankara, it said.