BARBARISM? HISTORY IS CLEAR

Referring to the word "barbarism" involved in the dialogues between the Greek President Karolos Papoulias and the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan during Sargsyan's visit to Athens, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said "We went through such a period in which, due to the famine it suffered only a few years after the War of Independence, we sent shipful of foodstuff to a nation that had invaded our country. We are the descendants of that nation."

Bagis, referring to the subject in the speech he delivered at the Conference of Governors held at the Ministry of Interior, said:

"There appears a President of a country who can charge us with barbarism. The history, of course, quite clearly reveals who did barbarism and who acted on behalf of humanity. However, we are the successors of an understanding which made great leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk say 'Pick that flag up, the flag is the honour of a nation' when they laid the flag of that country before him during our War of Independence.

We are the descendants of a nation that set up foundations for migratory birds. We are the survivors of the mind saying "the most appreciated help is that given secretly, without making any show off". However, we will certainly keep on getting our own way within this period, too. We went through such a period in which, due to the famine it suffered only a few years after the War of Independence, we sent shipful of foodstuff to a nation that had invaded our country. We are the descendants of that nation".

Bagis, underlining that the EU is also a significant means to remind the world of Turkey's traditional understanding of humanity, noted that therefore Turkey's accession to the EU would actually be one of the most important developments of the 21st century on behalf of world peace, too.

Source: AA