|
ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)—Turkish President
Abdullah Gul Tuesday urged foreign historians to join a
commission to study the Armenian Genocide, reported Agence
France Presse.
“There are all sorts of allegations about
what happened a century ago. It is clear that people who do not
know what happened where or how are not able to take decisions
on this matter,” Gul said in an interview.
“What we hope is that historians, archive
specialists study this matter and we are ready to accept the
conclusions of this commission. To show that we are sincere, we
even said that if a third country is interested in this matter,
if French historians, for example, want to take part in this
commission, they are welcome,” he added on the eve of a visit to
France.
The establishment of a commission to study
the Genocide is part of two protocols that Turkey and Armenia
said they would sign in a bid to establish diplomatic ties for
the first time and open their border, sealed since 1993.
President Sarkisian, during his Diaspora
tour, has been assuring community leaders that the protocols do
not contain provision for the establishment of such a
commission, but rather a grouping that would help Turkey deal
with its past.
In a separate interview with the Wall Street
Journal, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced
that the protocols would be signed on Saturday. Armenia’s
presidential spokesperson did not confirm or deny that report.
|
