Armenia

North Sea Diaries raises a good point about how the question of Armenia is going to rise to the surface as the prospect of Turkish accession to the EU comes closer. This is an issue where I think both sides of the argument are wrong. Whatever the reality of the events that occurred in the Ottoman Empire during world war one, they are for historians to decide the truth. Unfortunately, some countries in Europe, notably France, thinks that history is a democratic subject. So if the French Parliament decides that a Genocide did take place, then it did. The logic behind this is bizarre to say the least. We expect politicians in communist countries to change the past, but not in democracies. On the other hand, we have Turkey, a country which also refuses to allow people to have an opinion on an historic event. In contrast to France where everyone must call it genocide, in Turkey to do so is a crime. I had thought that crimes of thought were something that Turkey had to abolish in order to join the EU. Unfortunately it seems that crimes of thought are acceptable, as long as they are the right ones. Call me controversial, but would it not be far healthier to leave the question of what really happened open to discussion. I sure we would all end up being much more enlightened. It would also provide a solution to the potential disagreements between France and Turkey.