European commissioner says writing history is not EU's duty

BRUSSELS (A.A) - December 21, 2011 - The European commissioner for enlargement said on Wednesday that writing history was not the duty of the European Union (EU). Stefan Fule said the duty of the EU was not to write history, but to ensure compromise. EU was a project aiming at peace, democracy, stability and prosperity in the continent, Fule said as he responded to a question motion at the European Parliament. Fule's remarks came ahead of a French parliament vote on a resolution criminalizing denial of Armenian allegations regarding the incidents of 1915. Fule called on Turkey and Armenia to ratify protocols they had signed without any new preconditions, and said normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations would contribute to security, stability and cooperation in South Caucasus. There was need for vision, courage and dialogue to heal wounds of the past, Fule also said. A French parliamentary commission adopted the mentioned resolution on December 7. The resolution will be voted at the general assembly on Thursday. It envisages "one-year prison term and 45,000 Euro fine for those who deny genocide recognized by French laws." The French Parliament ratified a resolution saying that "France recognizes the Armenian genocide of 1915" on January 29, 2011.