Gul: Historical issues shouldn't be left to politicians

In Bulgaria for a weekend energy summit, President Abdullah Gul said that US President Barack Obama's statement on the incidents of 1915 would have benefited from a more balanced approach. "There are points in the statement I disagree with," Gul told reporters in Sofia. "The Turks who perished at the hand of rioting Armenians during these incidents should also be remembered. Hundreds of thousands of Turks and Muslims also died in 1915. Everyone's pain must be shared." He said statesmen and politicians can't pass judgment on historical events, adding that now is time to look to the future and give a chance to diplomatic efforts to solve issues between Turkey and Armenia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan. For the first time all the parties are striving at the highest levels to find solutions, he said. He expressed hope that all the problems would be solved, making way for cooperation among all countries in the region. Also commenting on the statement, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said it could seriously harm the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia. Referring to Turkey's offer to open its archives to facilitate finding the truth about the events, Toptan complained of a lack of interest. "We're ready to open our archives," he said. "Whoever is interested can use our archives. All related countries should open their archives." He said some are trying to pressure Turkey based on unfounded speculation and warned Armenian officials that this could hinder normalization efforts. Also commenting on relations with Azerbaijan in the midst of these efforts, Toptan said there was disinformation about recent developments. He said Turkey's relations with Azerbaijan would not change, stressing that Turkey would never agree to anything that would harm Azerbaijan. In related news, a Foreign Ministry statement called the perception of history in Obama's statement "unacceptable," and urged impartial study of the issue.