Davutoglu: Turkey is ready to confront our history

By Asbarez | Tuesday, 27 December 2011

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu

ANKARA (Anatolia News Agency)—Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey was ready to confront its history only if that history was taken up in an objective and fair way.

“Historians should be involved in the process and an intellectual foundation for discussion in which all archives are opened should be ensured,” Davutoglu said during a meeting in Ankara.

Davutoglu said Turkey was reacting to France because it had taken a step that made such an intellectual foundation of discussion impossible.

“We hope France will fulfill its mission in the [OSCE] Minsk Group instead of assuming such position, and help a fair peace in the Caucasus,” he said, which he said would pave the way for normalization of relations with Armenia.

Foreign Minister Davutoglu’s remarks came after Thursday’s vote at the lower house of the French Parliament, which adopted a resolution that makes the denial of the Armenian Genocide a crime, punishable by law. The measure requires senate approval.

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