Tweet
FRANCE AND THE GENOCIDE ISSUE
Today's Zaman
Dec 20 2011
Turkey
The French parliament is about to vote on a bill that would criminalize
speech that denies the killings of Armenians in 1915 was genocide. This
is one of President Nicolas Sarkozy's political maneuvers ahead of
the 2012 presidential elections. He is not only seeking the support
of the strong Armenian community in France, but also trying to revive
the anti-Turkish feelings in his country's public opinion.
Awakening Turkish public consciousness about the 1915 events
is imperative because it has the potential to become one of the
essential tools for political restructuring in Turkey and it is
also an existential problem for the Turkish-Armenian community. The
"genocide" debate is of crucial importance as it encourages us to
face our own history, to expose the anti-democratic practices this
country's citizens had to suffer until now and it is also a way to
discuss how to establish equality for all citizens of different ethnic
and religious backgrounds. This issue is also critical for relations
between Turks and Armenians and between Turkey and Armenia.
Adopting a law that makes the denial of the Armenian "genocide"
punishable in French courts, however, will only make it harder to
discuss this matter in Turkey on social and political levels. The
pertinence of such a law in the context of freedom of thought and
speech should also be discussed.
Pursuing the debate on the Armenian issue in Turkey is necessary
because it opens the way for people to ask for a more just and
transparent state. It also makes people notice how senseless it
is to keep the Turkish-Armenian border closed and persist on an
antagonistic policy toward a nation with which Turkey has lived
together for centuries. However, foreign political interference,
like France's legislative initiative, do not encourage Turks at all
to discuss this matter with a cool head. On the contrary, this law
will only exacerbate ultranationalist rhetoric in Turkey by angering
public opinion and by stimulating enmity towards both the French and
the Armenians. In other words, the French law will not help Turks
face their history and it will not fix Turkish-Armenian relations. Not
only will the Turks become more nationalistic because of this debate's
electric atmosphere, the Armenians will, too. In brief, a law adopted
in one country is not an effective way to normalize relations between
two other countries or their peoples.
Those who prepared this bill are certainly aware of its devastating
consequences. The "genocide" issue is of course just a cloak for them.
France is simply trying to make Turkey toughen its stance and to
provoke harsh reactions in order to show once again that Turkey does
not belong in Europe. It's true that an intransigent and bellicose
image is not helpful for Turkey's EU bid. This law is supplementary
proof that the "genocide" issue and relations between Turkey and
Armenia are simply diplomatic tools used for divergent purposes.
This new crisis between France and Turkey will seemingly cause
extensive damage to bilateral relations. It's odd that despite this
sour ambiance France still attempts to win Turkish military procurement
bids and to enter into the Turkish energy market. French businessmen
are trying hard to win Turkey back, and their efforts are completely
sabotaged by such initiatives. It is time to ask ourselves who is
going to benefit from bad relations between France and Turkey.
It is also legitimate to ask why some people in France are trying so
enthusiastically to lose Turkey for good.
Is there anyone in France who believes that this law will make Turkey
adopt a more humanistic or just stance regarding the Armenian issue or
that it will in any way contribute to resolving any major diplomatic
issue?
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Today's Zaman
Dec 20 2011
Turkey
The French parliament is about to vote on a bill that would criminalize
speech that denies the killings of Armenians in 1915 was genocide. This
is one of President Nicolas Sarkozy's political maneuvers ahead of
the 2012 presidential elections. He is not only seeking the support
of the strong Armenian community in France, but also trying to revive
the anti-Turkish feelings in his country's public opinion.
Awakening Turkish public consciousness about the 1915 events
is imperative because it has the potential to become one of the
essential tools for political restructuring in Turkey and it is
also an existential problem for the Turkish-Armenian community. The
"genocide" debate is of crucial importance as it encourages us to
face our own history, to expose the anti-democratic practices this
country's citizens had to suffer until now and it is also a way to
discuss how to establish equality for all citizens of different ethnic
and religious backgrounds. This issue is also critical for relations
between Turks and Armenians and between Turkey and Armenia.
Adopting a law that makes the denial of the Armenian "genocide"
punishable in French courts, however, will only make it harder to
discuss this matter in Turkey on social and political levels. The
pertinence of such a law in the context of freedom of thought and
speech should also be discussed.
Pursuing the debate on the Armenian issue in Turkey is necessary
because it opens the way for people to ask for a more just and
transparent state. It also makes people notice how senseless it
is to keep the Turkish-Armenian border closed and persist on an
antagonistic policy toward a nation with which Turkey has lived
together for centuries. However, foreign political interference,
like France's legislative initiative, do not encourage Turks at all
to discuss this matter with a cool head. On the contrary, this law
will only exacerbate ultranationalist rhetoric in Turkey by angering
public opinion and by stimulating enmity towards both the French and
the Armenians. In other words, the French law will not help Turks
face their history and it will not fix Turkish-Armenian relations. Not
only will the Turks become more nationalistic because of this debate's
electric atmosphere, the Armenians will, too. In brief, a law adopted
in one country is not an effective way to normalize relations between
two other countries or their peoples.
Those who prepared this bill are certainly aware of its devastating
consequences. The "genocide" issue is of course just a cloak for them.
France is simply trying to make Turkey toughen its stance and to
provoke harsh reactions in order to show once again that Turkey does
not belong in Europe. It's true that an intransigent and bellicose
image is not helpful for Turkey's EU bid. This law is supplementary
proof that the "genocide" issue and relations between Turkey and
Armenia are simply diplomatic tools used for divergent purposes.
This new crisis between France and Turkey will seemingly cause
extensive damage to bilateral relations. It's odd that despite this
sour ambiance France still attempts to win Turkish military procurement
bids and to enter into the Turkish energy market. French businessmen
are trying hard to win Turkey back, and their efforts are completely
sabotaged by such initiatives. It is time to ask ourselves who is
going to benefit from bad relations between France and Turkey.
It is also legitimate to ask why some people in France are trying so
enthusiastically to lose Turkey for good.
Is there anyone in France who believes that this law will make Turkey
adopt a more humanistic or just stance regarding the Armenian issue or
that it will in any way contribute to resolving any major diplomatic
issue?
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress