Epress.am News from Armenia
Turkey’s Minister for European Affairs and chief EU negotiator Egemen Bağış on Saturday said if the Armenian Genocide could be historically and scientifically substantiated, Turkey would apologize for it.
As a guest on “Talk to Al Jazeera,” one of the most popular programs on the Al Jazeera English-language news station, Bağış said Turkey would apologize if the Armenian Genocide was proven both historically and scientifically.
Responding to extensive questions regarding whether the Turkish government would recognize the 1915 incidents as genocide, Bağış said, “If it is recognized as a reality approved both historically and scientifically, moreover, unanimously, then why not?” He noted that every nation has dark moments in its history, asking, “Would you be able to name a nation without any dark chapters or pains in its past?”
He also noted that to prove if the incident amounted to genocide or not, first the disputed issue needs to be examined objectively. However, he said the Armenian government was not brave enough to confront its own history and refuses to disclose its historical archives, Today’s Zaman reports.
Referring to a bill adopted recently by the French Senate that makes it a crime to deny the Armenian Genocide, Bağış said the bill was “null and void” for Turkey.