Why did Angela Merkel urge Erdoğan to open border with Armenia?
Europe fears that a criminal who has not recognized the Armenian Genocide might enter its territory, political analyst Alexander Manasyan told a press conference on Feb. 10. The expert had his version for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to call on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to open its border with Armenia. “Europe will not let Turkey to become a member of its family with that ‘burden’ and demanour. On the other hand, Europe is wary of the prospects of Turkey's becoming a member of the European family, in terms of Turkey’s large population and demographic behavior,” the analyst explained. During her meeting with Erdoğan, the German Chancellor did not listen to Erdoğan’s calls not to allocate money from the German state budget for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide “Europe has other aspirations as well. By procrastinating Turkey’s membership to the European Union, it can force Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide and change public consciousness in Turkey,” said Mr. Manasyan.
