‘Third Parties Shouldn’t Interfere in Discussions of Historical Grievances,’ Says Irish President

Underlining the historical aspect of friendly relations between the Irish and Turkish nations, visiting Irish President Mary McAleese stated on Tuesday that her country is very well aware that third parties should not interfere in discussions related to historical grievances of nations, such as the killings of Anatolian Armenians during World War I, reports Turkish news source Today’s Zaman.

McAleese arrived in Turkey late on Monday for a five-day official visit, the first presidential visit between the two countries. At a joint press conference with her Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gül, following talks at the Çankaya presidential palace, the visiting president was asked about her stance on the Armenian Genocide.

“Beyond everything, the Irish know — more than all other people who live on this planet — what it means to have our memories of history shattered. People may voice different views regarding incidents which took place in history. Therefore, as a country which knows this, Ireland is one of the main countries which know to stay out of these kinds of debates,” McAleese was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency in response.

McAleese noted that the Irish understand the grief over those lost, as well as the importance of the healing process and the preservation of memories, adding that Ireland supports all efforts to this end and encourages friendship, in an apparent reference to the ongoing normalization efforts between Armenia and Turkey.

Furthermore, the Irish president reaffirmed her country’s firm support of Turkey’s bid to become a full European Union member.
“Ireland has always supported Turkey’s full membership in the EU right from the beginning,” she said.

For his part, Gül thanked the Irish president for her country’s strong support of Turkey’s EU bid, while expressing confidence in the continuation of this support.