A chara, – Simple justice demands that the genocide committed against the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire be recognised. The European Parliament is to be commended for following the lead of Pope Francis and calling on the Turkish government to acknowledge this crime against humanity ("MEPs vote to call Armenian deaths genocide", April 16th).
The response of the Turkish government to this cry for justice is less commendable. It has recalled its ambassador to the Holy See; and it has denigrated the authority of the European Parliament to speak for the people of the EU. And it continues to maintain that descriptions of what took place in Armenia as genocide are unfounded.
This policy of denial does not speak well for that government’s attitude to matters regarding human rights; it also indicates a rather low opinion of the democratic institutions of the EU. Given that, perhaps both Turkey and the EU would agree that it might be as well to put that country’s application for membership of our community of nations on hold until such a time as it can bring itself to regard the EU’s institutions with greater respect and until it gains a far greater insight into what would constitute a just response to the atrocities that were visited upon the Armenian people. – Is mise,
Rev PATRICK G BURKE,
Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny.