Armenian Genocide denial

Armenia and Turkey should use the centenary of the Armenian genocide to renew diplomatic relations, open the border and pave the way for economic integration, says the European Parliament in a resolution voted on Wednesday. MEPs stress the need for Turkey to recognise the Armenian genocide, so as to pave way for "genuine reconciliation".

The good news came through a column. Hürriyet columnist Fatih Çekirge opened his piece, ?How Turkey?s crisis with the Christian world was averted,? on March 30, datelined ?The Vatican,? by relieving everyone: ?Let?s first break the news. Turkey and the Christian world have gone through a serious crisis over Apr. 24 [the anniversary of the Armenian genocide].

As a long-time diplomatic correspondent, I have closely followed Turkey?s diplomatic struggle against world-wide efforts for the recognition of the Armenian genocide. An overall analysis would openly put that Turkey failed in its efforts to take an efficient stand against very well-orchestrated campaigns of the Armenian diaspora and the state of Armenia. 

The reason for the growing international tendency to recognize the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as genocide is the Sunni Islamist policy pursued by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), a senior main opposition party leader has claimed. 

Turkish-Armenian relations are back under the spotlight ahead of the centenary commemorations of 1915 on April 24. The date will be especially strained this year, after Turkey opted to rearrange the international Gallipoli campaign remembrance service to compete with genocide commemorations in Yerevan on the same day.

In the early 1990s, Turkey started to generously buy off-the-shelf arms from foreign manufacturers who had happily discovered an emerging but potentially lucrative market.

Turkish Foreign Ministry on March 14 slammed the human rights report adopted by the European Parliament, saying that the report lacked historical reality and legal basis.

The European Parliament has called on EU member states to recognize the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 as genocide.

The EP adopted the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2013 and the EU policy on the matter on March 12.

Turkey and Switzerland have never been best pals in the years preceding the 2000s. During the Justice and Development Party?s (AKP) rule, the relationship started having an inconsistent course with ups and downs. The Swiss parliament?s decision in 2003 to recognize the World War I Armenian tragedy as genocide despite government opposition was not appreciated by Turkey.

Accusing Turkey of committing genocide is a form of execution without trial, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has indicated, while also stating that Ankara is ?ready to pay for any misdeed? if an ?impartial board of historians? concludes that it was at fault for the events of 1915.