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The European Parliament, during a plenary session vote on May 7, adopted the report on Turkiye, which, among others, mentions the country’s normalization process with Armenia, as well as Ankara’s possible role in the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization.
367 MEPs voted in favor of the report, 74 voted against while 188 abstained.
With the report, the European Parliament expressed support to the Armenian-Turkish normalization pursuant to reconciliation, good-neighborly relations, regional stability and security, as well as socio-economic development interests, and welcomed the progress achieved so far.
The MEPs also call on Turkiye to speed up the agreements reached with Armenia, such as the opening of the land border for diplomatic passport holders and citizens of third countries.
The report also commends the temporary opening of the Turkish-Armenian land border to provide passage for the Armenian humanitarian aid for Syria.
The MEPs expressed hope that these developments would encourage the normalization process in the region and stressed the EU’s interest in endorsing the process.
The report encourages Turkiye to play a constructive role in promoting regional stability by supporting a speedy conclusion of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process, namely by using its influence on Azerbaijan to prevent the latter’s possible renewed aggression against the sovereignty of Armenia.
The report yet again called on Turkiye to recognize the Armenian Genocide to pave the way for true reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples, and fully respects its obligations to preserve Armenian cultural heritage.
Elsewhere in the report the MEPs noted that the EU continues to acknowledge Turkiye as an EU candidate, but despite Ankara’s announcements about its commitment to EU integration, the country has achieved little progress in compliance with fundamental values and standards such as judicial independence, freedom of speech and basic human rights.
The report warns of a continual tendency for democratic decline in Turkiye.
