Turkey to Change Article 301 Laws

This certainly won't bring Hrant Dink back nor return to Orhan Pamuk the time he lost overseas.

Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said a new bill would be put before the Turkish parliament in the coming days. The law, known as Article 301, bans perceived insults to Turkish identity or the country's institutions.

It has often been invoked by nationalists against those who argue the Ottoman empire committed genocide against Armenians. Earlier on Tuesday the European Commission said restrictions on freedom of expression were blocking Turkey's progress towards EU membership.

No, the Turks haven't decided to be decent: they just want to be a part of the EU really, really badly.

Source: BBC

Most Greeks Oppose Turkey's EU Membership

From the press release:

A public opinion poll commissioned by To Vima newspaper, published in Athens, Greece to Kapa Research pollster center has found that only 39.7 percent of Greeks support Turkey's bid to join the European Union, while 56.5 percent are against it. The survey also has found that only 38.5 percent of respondents are optimistic about prospects for settling the Cyprus problem and 39.4 percent believe that the united island will be in the European Union.

By the way, the above picture is that of Cyprus, the Northern portion of the island which was invaded and divided by Turkey in 1974. Just as we are trying to set history straight, they are trying to unify their beautiful island. However, it's clear from the poll numbers that they're not too optimistic that any of that would happen with Turkey's entry into the EU, just as we Armenians must realize that if it were to happen without precondition, our cause could be lost entirely.

Source: ArmenPress

EU & Nagorno Karabakh: Friends?

This is a pretty unexpected position on this issue.

During his recent visit to Armenia the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby stated that the European Union is likely to set up direct contact with Nagorno Karabakh.

He thinks that a more active approach of the EU would be helpful to the efforts for the settlement of the conflict between Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Honestly, I don't know what so wrong about a direct vote: let the people there decide where they want to belong. A majority will obviously choose Armenia, and for that very reason Azerbaijan would never agree.

Source: Huliq

Turkey in the EU Good for Armenia

Think about this and see if this makes sense to you:

Turkey’s membership in the European Union would strengthen Armenia’s national security and bring the South Caucasus nation “geopolitically closer to Europe,” Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian said in a newspaper article published on Friday.

“In addition to building diplomatic ties between our two countries, we believe that in negotiating for membership -- and perhaps as a future EU member state -- Turkey will contribute to an economically stronger and more stable neighborhood,” he said. “This is in the interest of both Turkey and Armenia.

I'm not so sure about this. Maybe all he's doing is trying to embrace the inevitable, which is Turkey's entry without official recognition of the Genocide. But besides a stable region that will be created as a result, with which I agree completely, this will only move the formal recognition of the Genocide farther away. We can't have this.

Original article here.