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TURKEY AND FRANCE STEP UP ROW ON 'GENOCIDE'
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0bae3b7a-2b2d-11e1-9fd0-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1h6pZ2ysv
December 20, 2011 8:26 pm
By Hugh Carnegy in Paris and Daniel Dombey in Istanbul
France has warned Turkey against any commercial reprisals in an
escalating dispute over a French bid to make it a crime to deny that
a genocide of Armenians took place in the final days of the Ottoman
Empire almost a century ago.
As Turkish business leaders joined a parliamentary delegation in Paris
this week to lobby against the initiative by the French national
assembly, the French foreign ministry publicly reminded Ankara it
had to respect its obligations under World Trade Organisation rules
and its agreements with the European Union.
But Turkish businessmen and leaders labelled the bill "unacceptable".
"If it passes, the world of business between France and Turkey will
be badly hit," Rifat Hisarciklioglu, chairman of the Turkish chambers
of commerce, told a press conference in Paris, amid suggestions of
a possible boycott of French business.
He pointedly referred to orders made by Turkish Airlines for Airbus
aircraft and billion of dollars of investment planned in the energy
sector for which French companies would likely be bidders.
Paris has refrained from reacting publicly to such threats, but
privately French officials say they have been counterproductive. "It
has gone beyond pressure and legitimate lobbying and become an attempt
at intimidation. It is unacceptable," said one senior official.
Turkey has always rejected the description of the mass killings of
Armenians as genocide. But, by contrast with previous disputes over
similar legislation, the current fight comes at a time of heightened
tension between Ankara and France and with the EU more generally,
as well as Turkey's increasing self confidence on the world stage.
"France should not sacrifice the centuries-old Turkish-French
friendship, common interests and ties of alliance for small political
calculations," Abdullah Gul, Turkey's president, said on Tuesday. "How
strange and thought provoking that these kinds of initiatives come
at a pre-election time".
Recep Tayyip Ergodan, Turkish prime minister, has already warned
President Nicolas Sarkozy of "irreparable damage" to relations
between the two countries if the law is passed when it comes before
the National Assembly on Thursday. Mr Erdogan has threatened to raise
France's own "dirty and bloody history" in Algeria and Rwanda and take
"all kinds of diplomatic" action in response to the law.
Alain Juppe, foreign minister, agreed to meet the parliamentary
delegation on Tuesday evening, but officials said there was no
question of intervening to delay the passage of the bill. Paris is
anxious to contain the issue, not least because it wants to continue
to work closely with Ankara on efforts to convince Bashar al-Assad,
the Syrian president, to step down.
French officials argue any threat to French business interests in
Turkey could rebound on the Turkish economy. France is the third
largest foreign investor in Turkey, with 970 enterprises operating
in the country - including names such as Axa, the insurer, Carrefour,
the retailer, and Renault, the car maker. French investments reached
~@12bn in the past year, they said. The number of French tourists
has also exceeded 1m per year.
The new law, which would make denial of an Armenian genocide punishable
by up to a year in prison and a fine of ~@45,000, is sponsored by
Mr Sarkozy's majority right-of-centre UMP party, but is drawing
support from opposition parties as well. It comes on top of a 2001
law recognising an Armenian genocide. It has been strongly supported
by the 500,000 strong Armenian community in France.
Mr Sarkozy has in the past supported these moves - and has angered
Ankara with his explicit opposition to eventual Turkish membership
of the European Union.
Among the French business leaders seen by their Turkish counterparts
were Laurence Parisot, head of Medef, the French business
confederation, and Henri de Castries, chief executive of Axa. Medef
said it was very concerned by the issue but warned against any
commercial boycott.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0bae3b7a-2b2d-11e1-9fd0-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1h6pZ2ysv
December 20, 2011 8:26 pm
By Hugh Carnegy in Paris and Daniel Dombey in Istanbul
France has warned Turkey against any commercial reprisals in an
escalating dispute over a French bid to make it a crime to deny that
a genocide of Armenians took place in the final days of the Ottoman
Empire almost a century ago.
As Turkish business leaders joined a parliamentary delegation in Paris
this week to lobby against the initiative by the French national
assembly, the French foreign ministry publicly reminded Ankara it
had to respect its obligations under World Trade Organisation rules
and its agreements with the European Union.
But Turkish businessmen and leaders labelled the bill "unacceptable".
"If it passes, the world of business between France and Turkey will
be badly hit," Rifat Hisarciklioglu, chairman of the Turkish chambers
of commerce, told a press conference in Paris, amid suggestions of
a possible boycott of French business.
He pointedly referred to orders made by Turkish Airlines for Airbus
aircraft and billion of dollars of investment planned in the energy
sector for which French companies would likely be bidders.
Paris has refrained from reacting publicly to such threats, but
privately French officials say they have been counterproductive. "It
has gone beyond pressure and legitimate lobbying and become an attempt
at intimidation. It is unacceptable," said one senior official.
Turkey has always rejected the description of the mass killings of
Armenians as genocide. But, by contrast with previous disputes over
similar legislation, the current fight comes at a time of heightened
tension between Ankara and France and with the EU more generally,
as well as Turkey's increasing self confidence on the world stage.
"France should not sacrifice the centuries-old Turkish-French
friendship, common interests and ties of alliance for small political
calculations," Abdullah Gul, Turkey's president, said on Tuesday. "How
strange and thought provoking that these kinds of initiatives come
at a pre-election time".
Recep Tayyip Ergodan, Turkish prime minister, has already warned
President Nicolas Sarkozy of "irreparable damage" to relations
between the two countries if the law is passed when it comes before
the National Assembly on Thursday. Mr Erdogan has threatened to raise
France's own "dirty and bloody history" in Algeria and Rwanda and take
"all kinds of diplomatic" action in response to the law.
Alain Juppe, foreign minister, agreed to meet the parliamentary
delegation on Tuesday evening, but officials said there was no
question of intervening to delay the passage of the bill. Paris is
anxious to contain the issue, not least because it wants to continue
to work closely with Ankara on efforts to convince Bashar al-Assad,
the Syrian president, to step down.
French officials argue any threat to French business interests in
Turkey could rebound on the Turkish economy. France is the third
largest foreign investor in Turkey, with 970 enterprises operating
in the country - including names such as Axa, the insurer, Carrefour,
the retailer, and Renault, the car maker. French investments reached
~@12bn in the past year, they said. The number of French tourists
has also exceeded 1m per year.
The new law, which would make denial of an Armenian genocide punishable
by up to a year in prison and a fine of ~@45,000, is sponsored by
Mr Sarkozy's majority right-of-centre UMP party, but is drawing
support from opposition parties as well. It comes on top of a 2001
law recognising an Armenian genocide. It has been strongly supported
by the 500,000 strong Armenian community in France.
Mr Sarkozy has in the past supported these moves - and has angered
Ankara with his explicit opposition to eventual Turkish membership
of the European Union.
Among the French business leaders seen by their Turkish counterparts
were Laurence Parisot, head of Medef, the French business
confederation, and Henri de Castries, chief executive of Axa. Medef
said it was very concerned by the issue but warned against any
commercial boycott.