YEREVAN (Combined Sources)—Poland's Ambassador to Armenia, Zdzislaw Raczyński told a news conference in Yerevan on Thursday the he believed "the sooner Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide, the better," Armenian news agencies reported Thursday.Raczyński said Turkey's bid for membership to the European Union is directly tied to the normalization of relations with Armenia, Aysor reported.

According to the Ambassador, for Turkey to enter the EU, it should both open its border with Armenia and reassess its history by recognizing the Genocide.

"For Europe, it is unacceptable to have closed borders," said Raczyński, noting that Armenia and Turkey have a rather active commodity turnover transported through other countries.

Speaking of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, Raczyński said he was aware that the people of Karabakh have repeatedly expressed their willingness for independence or unification with Armenia. "At present, this factor is taken into account," he added, reported News.am.

He was, however, cold to the possibility of using Kosovo as a precedent for Karabakh, saying that "each case is unique."

"The Kosovo problem was an event in the center of Europe, while the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the result of historical problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan," he said. "The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a complicated problem, as the interests of many external forces clash in the South Caucasus."

Raczyński reiterated that the EU's position on the South Caucasus is based on the two principles of territorial integrity and a peoples' right to self-determination.

"If Armenia and Azerbaijan continue recriminations, it will only complicate the peace process," he said. "Friends, rather than neighbors, are normally chosen. Settling the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is a multi-faceted process, with different civilizations, religions and historical insults."