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PRESIDENT: TURKEY HOPES FRANCE WILL NOT SACRIFICE LONG-TERM FRIENDSHIP FOR POLITICAL SETTLEMENTS
Trend
Dec 20 2011
Azerbaijan
Turkey hopes that France will not sacrifice long-term friendship
between Ankara and Paris for the sake of petty political settlements,
TRT Haber TV channel quotes Turkish President Abdullah Gul, as saying.
President Gul also urged France to close issue regarding adoption of
legislation criminalizing denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide".
Earlier, the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that
Turkish-French relations should not depend on third party's demands,
and if the French Senate approves the bill Turkey will respond with
all diplomatic means.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu threatened to sever
diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries if the
bill is adopted.
The French parliament is set to vote next week on a piece of
legislation that could make denying the 1915 events that took place
in Turkey as "genocide" punishable by up to one year in prison and
a fine of 45,000 euros. The Turkish reaction escalated over the
week from mild suggestion to the French to reconsider the voting,
to outright warnings that France will be facing severe consequences,
including the withdrawal of the Turkish ambassador from Paris, as
the day of the voting, Monday the Dec. 19, approached.
Armenia and its lobby claim the Turkish Republic's predecessor, the
Ottoman Empire, committed genocide against Armenians in Anatolia in
1915. Pressured by Armenian propaganda, the governments of a number
of countries have recognised the so-called 1915 genocide.
Trend
Dec 20 2011
Azerbaijan
Turkey hopes that France will not sacrifice long-term friendship
between Ankara and Paris for the sake of petty political settlements,
TRT Haber TV channel quotes Turkish President Abdullah Gul, as saying.
President Gul also urged France to close issue regarding adoption of
legislation criminalizing denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide".
Earlier, the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that
Turkish-French relations should not depend on third party's demands,
and if the French Senate approves the bill Turkey will respond with
all diplomatic means.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu threatened to sever
diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries if the
bill is adopted.
The French parliament is set to vote next week on a piece of
legislation that could make denying the 1915 events that took place
in Turkey as "genocide" punishable by up to one year in prison and
a fine of 45,000 euros. The Turkish reaction escalated over the
week from mild suggestion to the French to reconsider the voting,
to outright warnings that France will be facing severe consequences,
including the withdrawal of the Turkish ambassador from Paris, as
the day of the voting, Monday the Dec. 19, approached.
Armenia and its lobby claim the Turkish Republic's predecessor, the
Ottoman Empire, committed genocide against Armenians in Anatolia in
1915. Pressured by Armenian propaganda, the governments of a number
of countries have recognised the so-called 1915 genocide.