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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Dec 18 2011
Turkish-French ties put to the test ahead of genocide denial vote
18 December 2011 / CEREN KUMOVA, ANKARA
Even though relations between Turkey and France may never have offered
an easy ride through the centuries, a very significant bump is now
about to make diplomacy much more difficult between the sometime
rivals, one of which is about to pass legislation regarding the
alleged crime of the other, the denial of which might become
punishable by law.
On Monday, the French Parliament will vote on a bill that would
penalize denial of the "Armenian genocide," the alleged systematic
massacre of over 1 million Armenians in 1915 by Turkey. Turkey
vehemently rejects the notion that the killings were intentionally
orchestrated and says they were the casualties of clashes between
communities as Ottomans had to fight on various fronts during World
War I. For almost 100 years, the tragic incidents have remained a
thorn between Armenia and Turkey, neighbors with a closed border.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, which paved the way for an
independent Armenian state, Turkey closed its border with Armenia when
that country invaded Nagorno Karabakh and went to war with Azerbaijan
in 1992.
Since that time Turkey has had no diplomatic contact with Armenia. The
incidents have created grounds for the parliaments of many other
countries to vote and decide what actually happened back then.
Naturally the French bill has caused an outpouring of reactions from
Turkey, and Turkish officials have warned France of grave consequences
should the bill be passed by the French Senate. Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a letter to the French President Nicolas
Sarkozy on Friday, alarming him of the damage the passing of the bill
will cause on relations between Turkey and France. "This bill directly
targets the state of the Turkish Republic, the Turkish nation and the
Turkish community in France and is seen as hostile," Erdoğan was
quoted as saying in the letter by the Anatolia news agency. Erdoğan
also noted that the French move would do nothing to help solve the
conflict between Turkey and Armenia, but cause serious damage to
Turkish-French friendship, as well as economic relations between the
countries. As a solid representation of the possible damage, Ankara
announced on Thursday that it would withdraw its ambassador in Paris,
Tahsin Burcuoğlu, "for consultations for an indefinite period of
time," if the bill is passed.
The French attempt to criminalize denial follows a bill the country
passed back in 2001, when its Senate agreed that the Armenian killings
amounted to genocide -- a term many other countries refrain from using
when referring to the events of 1915, including the United States. The
"denial bill" has been on the agenda in the French Senate a few more
times since the 2001 bill recognizing Armenian deaths as genocide was
passed, most recently in 2006. Although it is not only France that
reconsiders the Armenian tragedy from time to time, stirring up hope
in the Armenian diaspora, France is a country where the issue gains
incredible momentum before elections.
At least that is how Turkish officials have chalked up the attempts,
mere election campaigning. Ankara has stated that it found the timing
of the revival of the debate over such a sensitive issue very
significant. "It has been observed that initiatives aimed at
reinforcing this law [that punish genocide denial] with criminal
sanctions recur particularly during elections in France," a statement
from the Turkish Foreign Ministry read last week, when the bill first
emerged. France, on the other hand, argues that the initiative is a
matter of conscience for the country, and it has no doubts that the
genocide is a historical truth, not an allegation, and that it is
completely unrelated to the current political atmosphere in France.
Observers believe that the role of the genocide denial bill in this
heavily charged election may cause the French legislature to debate
and pass it, which would make it possible to sentence a person who
refuses to refer to the killings as a genocide with a one-year prison
sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros. "It is quite possible that the
French Parliament will vote to pass a bill criminalizing denial of
this and other officially recognized genocides, given the fact that
this is an election year and the Armenian vote has considerable weight
in French politics," Ersin Onulduran, chairman of the department of
international relations at Ankara University, told Sunday's Zaman in
an online interview. İsmail Kemal, a columnist for Kıbrıs Gazetesi,
agreed that Monday's vote might produce a result different from that
of 2006, when the French Senate refused to approve a genocide denial
bill. Now experts say results might be different and that they may
actually pass it since "inner dynamics have opened new ground." He
further warned that if the genocide denial bill passes, relations
between the countries would enter a "rough and tense phase."
Sarkozy's words pushing Turkey to accept genocide allegations in
October during a visit to Yerevan were also taken as a sign that the
French president placed great importance on favor with the Armenian
diaspora in France. If his Socialist Party rival Francois Hollande is
elected president, the denial legislation can be regarded as a sure
thing, and this puts great pressure on Sarkozy's shoulders. "The
debate over such a resolution is nothing new, but what is new is that
Sarkozy and his party need to appear as if they now support the
initiative," Kemal said, explaining his view of the true motivation
behind the legislation. However, regardless of circumstances, "One
cannot legislate historical truths through parliamentary action,"
Onulduran warned. "Only historians and archival experts should pass
judgment on the merits of historical events," he added.
Ankara argues that history cannot be evaluated by politicians and is
best left to historians. It has given hints regarding the true reasons
for the emergence of the debate in France, and bilateral relations are
at stake if France stays on its current road. "While Turkey and France
have entered a period of stability in their relations and found
enhanced cooperation at the bilateral and international levels, we
hope that France does not take irreversible steps," was the clear
message from Ankara to Paris, a warning not to jeopardize bilateral
relations.
On the other side, there is growing feeling in Turkey that the
"Armenian genocide" is being used against it, specifically by European
countries, in order to twist the country's arm into accepting and
doing things it would otherwise prefer not to do. "It is no secret
that some countries use Armenian resolutions for political reasons,
either domestically or abroad," Kemal said with words that show the
popular feeling has backing with experts. "It is no secret, either,
that these resolutions make a good tool for pressuring Turkey," he
added. Turks have raised doubts that the issue functions merely as a
voodoo doll coupled with a well-rooted Turkish belief that some
European countries will do anything in their power to hurt Turkey's
sore spots, a theory that plays well in the conspiracy market. The
fact that Sarkozy speaks consistently against Turkish membership in
the EU and delivers the occasional ultimatum to the country to accept
the Armenian deaths as a genocide adds to sour feelings in Turkey.
"Even our common goals in the Mediterranean, Middle East and North
Africa do not eradicate the strong rivalry [between France and
Turkey]," Kemal stated.
"This act, if passed, will affect Turkish-French relations very badly.
Cultural, political and economic relations will also suffer greatly,"
Onulduran said, voicing concerns shared by Turkish and French experts
alike. Onulduran suggested that the issue is not about two countries'
disagreements, but rather a restriction on freedoms planned by a
country proud of its respect for freedoms. "The sad thing is that the
actions of the French Parliament will place restrictions on freedom of
choice and expression -- freedoms for which France wants to be known
as the champion of the Western world," Onulduran argued, and stressed
that such a limitation on freedoms was the main concern for impartial
observers in both Turkey and France.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-266003-turkish-french-ties-put-to-the-test-ahead-of-genocide-denial-vote.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Dec 18 2011
Turkish-French ties put to the test ahead of genocide denial vote
18 December 2011 / CEREN KUMOVA, ANKARA
Even though relations between Turkey and France may never have offered
an easy ride through the centuries, a very significant bump is now
about to make diplomacy much more difficult between the sometime
rivals, one of which is about to pass legislation regarding the
alleged crime of the other, the denial of which might become
punishable by law.
On Monday, the French Parliament will vote on a bill that would
penalize denial of the "Armenian genocide," the alleged systematic
massacre of over 1 million Armenians in 1915 by Turkey. Turkey
vehemently rejects the notion that the killings were intentionally
orchestrated and says they were the casualties of clashes between
communities as Ottomans had to fight on various fronts during World
War I. For almost 100 years, the tragic incidents have remained a
thorn between Armenia and Turkey, neighbors with a closed border.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, which paved the way for an
independent Armenian state, Turkey closed its border with Armenia when
that country invaded Nagorno Karabakh and went to war with Azerbaijan
in 1992.
Since that time Turkey has had no diplomatic contact with Armenia. The
incidents have created grounds for the parliaments of many other
countries to vote and decide what actually happened back then.
Naturally the French bill has caused an outpouring of reactions from
Turkey, and Turkish officials have warned France of grave consequences
should the bill be passed by the French Senate. Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a letter to the French President Nicolas
Sarkozy on Friday, alarming him of the damage the passing of the bill
will cause on relations between Turkey and France. "This bill directly
targets the state of the Turkish Republic, the Turkish nation and the
Turkish community in France and is seen as hostile," Erdoğan was
quoted as saying in the letter by the Anatolia news agency. Erdoğan
also noted that the French move would do nothing to help solve the
conflict between Turkey and Armenia, but cause serious damage to
Turkish-French friendship, as well as economic relations between the
countries. As a solid representation of the possible damage, Ankara
announced on Thursday that it would withdraw its ambassador in Paris,
Tahsin Burcuoğlu, "for consultations for an indefinite period of
time," if the bill is passed.
The French attempt to criminalize denial follows a bill the country
passed back in 2001, when its Senate agreed that the Armenian killings
amounted to genocide -- a term many other countries refrain from using
when referring to the events of 1915, including the United States. The
"denial bill" has been on the agenda in the French Senate a few more
times since the 2001 bill recognizing Armenian deaths as genocide was
passed, most recently in 2006. Although it is not only France that
reconsiders the Armenian tragedy from time to time, stirring up hope
in the Armenian diaspora, France is a country where the issue gains
incredible momentum before elections.
At least that is how Turkish officials have chalked up the attempts,
mere election campaigning. Ankara has stated that it found the timing
of the revival of the debate over such a sensitive issue very
significant. "It has been observed that initiatives aimed at
reinforcing this law [that punish genocide denial] with criminal
sanctions recur particularly during elections in France," a statement
from the Turkish Foreign Ministry read last week, when the bill first
emerged. France, on the other hand, argues that the initiative is a
matter of conscience for the country, and it has no doubts that the
genocide is a historical truth, not an allegation, and that it is
completely unrelated to the current political atmosphere in France.
Observers believe that the role of the genocide denial bill in this
heavily charged election may cause the French legislature to debate
and pass it, which would make it possible to sentence a person who
refuses to refer to the killings as a genocide with a one-year prison
sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros. "It is quite possible that the
French Parliament will vote to pass a bill criminalizing denial of
this and other officially recognized genocides, given the fact that
this is an election year and the Armenian vote has considerable weight
in French politics," Ersin Onulduran, chairman of the department of
international relations at Ankara University, told Sunday's Zaman in
an online interview. İsmail Kemal, a columnist for Kıbrıs Gazetesi,
agreed that Monday's vote might produce a result different from that
of 2006, when the French Senate refused to approve a genocide denial
bill. Now experts say results might be different and that they may
actually pass it since "inner dynamics have opened new ground." He
further warned that if the genocide denial bill passes, relations
between the countries would enter a "rough and tense phase."
Sarkozy's words pushing Turkey to accept genocide allegations in
October during a visit to Yerevan were also taken as a sign that the
French president placed great importance on favor with the Armenian
diaspora in France. If his Socialist Party rival Francois Hollande is
elected president, the denial legislation can be regarded as a sure
thing, and this puts great pressure on Sarkozy's shoulders. "The
debate over such a resolution is nothing new, but what is new is that
Sarkozy and his party need to appear as if they now support the
initiative," Kemal said, explaining his view of the true motivation
behind the legislation. However, regardless of circumstances, "One
cannot legislate historical truths through parliamentary action,"
Onulduran warned. "Only historians and archival experts should pass
judgment on the merits of historical events," he added.
Ankara argues that history cannot be evaluated by politicians and is
best left to historians. It has given hints regarding the true reasons
for the emergence of the debate in France, and bilateral relations are
at stake if France stays on its current road. "While Turkey and France
have entered a period of stability in their relations and found
enhanced cooperation at the bilateral and international levels, we
hope that France does not take irreversible steps," was the clear
message from Ankara to Paris, a warning not to jeopardize bilateral
relations.
On the other side, there is growing feeling in Turkey that the
"Armenian genocide" is being used against it, specifically by European
countries, in order to twist the country's arm into accepting and
doing things it would otherwise prefer not to do. "It is no secret
that some countries use Armenian resolutions for political reasons,
either domestically or abroad," Kemal said with words that show the
popular feeling has backing with experts. "It is no secret, either,
that these resolutions make a good tool for pressuring Turkey," he
added. Turks have raised doubts that the issue functions merely as a
voodoo doll coupled with a well-rooted Turkish belief that some
European countries will do anything in their power to hurt Turkey's
sore spots, a theory that plays well in the conspiracy market. The
fact that Sarkozy speaks consistently against Turkish membership in
the EU and delivers the occasional ultimatum to the country to accept
the Armenian deaths as a genocide adds to sour feelings in Turkey.
"Even our common goals in the Mediterranean, Middle East and North
Africa do not eradicate the strong rivalry [between France and
Turkey]," Kemal stated.
"This act, if passed, will affect Turkish-French relations very badly.
Cultural, political and economic relations will also suffer greatly,"
Onulduran said, voicing concerns shared by Turkish and French experts
alike. Onulduran suggested that the issue is not about two countries'
disagreements, but rather a restriction on freedoms planned by a
country proud of its respect for freedoms. "The sad thing is that the
actions of the French Parliament will place restrictions on freedom of
choice and expression -- freedoms for which France wants to be known
as the champion of the Western world," Onulduran argued, and stressed
that such a limitation on freedoms was the main concern for impartial
observers in both Turkey and France.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-266003-turkish-french-ties-put-to-the-test-ahead-of-genocide-denial-vote.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress