Tweet
TURKEY WARNS FRANCE OVER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
by Anustup Roy
Press TV
Dec 21 2011
Iran
A debate over an Ottoman past is haunting Franco-Turkish relations
again.
This week, the French Parliament's lower house, Assemblee Nationale,
is ready to vote on the Armenian Genocide bill.
If it becomes a law, deniers could face up to a year in prison and
a fine of 45,000 Euros.
The ruling party which is behind the bill has not changed its position
since 2006 when a similar law without punishments came into effect.
But for the opposition parties, the ruling party is high-jacking a
much bigger topic of different genocides around the world.
Ankara says there's been no genocide but admits: the 500,000 who died
between 1915 and 1917 were casualties of the 1st world war.
However, Armenia insists: the Ottomans deliberately perpetrated
genocide and killed 3 times more the figure, i.e. 1.5 million.
France officially supports the Armenian version, and recognizes the
killings as genocide.
>From the Turkish point of view, a lot is at stake, particularly in
terms of business and economic ties with France.
Turkey has warned it may pull out of a joint Turkish-French economic
co-operation meeting in January.
And the Turkish Foreign Minister himself has warned, his country may
take up the matter of French colonialism.
This Turkish delegation is trying its best to make French officials
see Ankara's point of view.
But how successful it will be in changing the position of the French
ruling party...remains to be seen.
Watch the video of this show at
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/216879.html
by Anustup Roy
Press TV
Dec 21 2011
Iran
A debate over an Ottoman past is haunting Franco-Turkish relations
again.
This week, the French Parliament's lower house, Assemblee Nationale,
is ready to vote on the Armenian Genocide bill.
If it becomes a law, deniers could face up to a year in prison and
a fine of 45,000 Euros.
The ruling party which is behind the bill has not changed its position
since 2006 when a similar law without punishments came into effect.
But for the opposition parties, the ruling party is high-jacking a
much bigger topic of different genocides around the world.
Ankara says there's been no genocide but admits: the 500,000 who died
between 1915 and 1917 were casualties of the 1st world war.
However, Armenia insists: the Ottomans deliberately perpetrated
genocide and killed 3 times more the figure, i.e. 1.5 million.
France officially supports the Armenian version, and recognizes the
killings as genocide.
>From the Turkish point of view, a lot is at stake, particularly in
terms of business and economic ties with France.
Turkey has warned it may pull out of a joint Turkish-French economic
co-operation meeting in January.
And the Turkish Foreign Minister himself has warned, his country may
take up the matter of French colonialism.
This Turkish delegation is trying its best to make French officials
see Ankara's point of view.
But how successful it will be in changing the position of the French
ruling party...remains to be seen.
Watch the video of this show at
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/216879.html