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Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Dec 23 2011
Turkish FM says more may follow in sanctions against France
Ankara: Turkish foreign minister has said more could follow in
sanctions Turkey had taken against France over a bill penalizing
denial of the Armenian allegations regarding the Ottoman era incidents
of 1915.
"Sanctions Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced yesterday was
first phase. Our sanctions could become more powerful or they may ease
in line with the position France will assume," Ahmet Davutoglu told a
gathering of Turkish ambassadors in capital Ankara.
The lower house of the French parliament on Thursday adopted a bill
that makes it a crime to deny the Armenian allegations with a prison
term of one year and a fine of 45 thousand euros.
Turkey recalled its ambassador in Paris in retaliation and cancelled
all political and military meetings as well as joint military
manoeuvres.
The bill needs approval of the French senate before winning any
binding power and it has come to the senate floor for debate before
February 22.
A similar bill in 2006 - proposed by the Socialist Party back then -
was approved by the lower house of the French assembly but the French
senate rejected to debate the bill last May.
The bill had the backing of French President Nicolas Sarkozy who had
recently expressed support during a visit to Yerevan last October
ahead of the presidential elections next year.
"Now they placed the burden, this bomb with its fuse on it, on the
senate which is set to decide whether to preserve the European values.
It is their test now and we will see how they will do," Davutoglu
said.
"Turkey is no more a country that has to obey to whatever it is told.
Turkey is making diplomacy all around the world and showing its
power," he said.
Dec 23 2011
Turkish FM says more may follow in sanctions against France
Ankara: Turkish foreign minister has said more could follow in
sanctions Turkey had taken against France over a bill penalizing
denial of the Armenian allegations regarding the Ottoman era incidents
of 1915.
"Sanctions Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced yesterday was
first phase. Our sanctions could become more powerful or they may ease
in line with the position France will assume," Ahmet Davutoglu told a
gathering of Turkish ambassadors in capital Ankara.
The lower house of the French parliament on Thursday adopted a bill
that makes it a crime to deny the Armenian allegations with a prison
term of one year and a fine of 45 thousand euros.
Turkey recalled its ambassador in Paris in retaliation and cancelled
all political and military meetings as well as joint military
manoeuvres.
The bill needs approval of the French senate before winning any
binding power and it has come to the senate floor for debate before
February 22.
A similar bill in 2006 - proposed by the Socialist Party back then -
was approved by the lower house of the French assembly but the French
senate rejected to debate the bill last May.
The bill had the backing of French President Nicolas Sarkozy who had
recently expressed support during a visit to Yerevan last October
ahead of the presidential elections next year.
"Now they placed the burden, this bomb with its fuse on it, on the
senate which is set to decide whether to preserve the European values.
It is their test now and we will see how they will do," Davutoglu
said.
"Turkey is no more a country that has to obey to whatever it is told.
Turkey is making diplomacy all around the world and showing its
power," he said.