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Qatar News Agency
December 23, 2011 Friday 3:00 PM EST
Turkish Ambassador Leaves France to Ankara for Consultations
Paris, December 23 (QNA) - Turkey's ambassador to Paris returned
Friday following a vote by the French parliament to ban the denial of
the Armenian genocide, an embassy spokesperson said noting meantime
that the recall of an ambassador is a diplomatic protest and is not
seen as a complete breakdown in diplomatic relations.
Tahsin Burcuoglu left from Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris
with his wife on a 7:40 a.m. flight and is expected in the Turkish
capital in the afternoon, the embassy spokesman Engin Solakoglu said.
Turkey's embassy in Paris will remain open during the ambassador's absence.
On Thursday, before leaving, Burcuoglu had told a news conference
France's ambassador in Turkey would not be asked to leave, although
French officials said he was already on a pre-arranged holiday in any
case. "We are really very sad. Franco-Turkish relations did not
deserve this," Burcuoglu said, blaming Paris for the row. "When there
is a problem it always comes from the French side."
Thursday's vote in the National Assembly was the first step towards
passing a law that would impose a jail term and a 45,000 euro fine on
anyone in France who denies that the 1915 massacre of Armenians
constitutes genocide.
During World War I hundreds of thousands of Armenians died at the
hands of Ottoman Turk forces. Armenia says 1.5 million died in a
genocide, Turkey says around 500,000 died in fighting after they sided
with a Russian invasion.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe called on Turkey not to
"overreact" to a bill that he insisted was a parliamentary initiative,
and not a project of President Nicolas Sarkozy's government.
"The damage is already done," responded Burcuoglu. "We have been
accused of genocide! How could we not overreact? Turkey will never
recognise this story of an Armenian genocide. "There are limits. A
country like Turkey cannot be treated like this. We're not the Turkey
of 2001 or 2006," he declared.
Meanwhile French President Nicolas Sarkozy Friday urged the mutual
respect of views between his country and Turkey amid a row over
France's criminalization of the denial of the Armenian genocide. "I
respect the views of our Turkish friends -- it's a great country, a
great civilization -- and they must respect ours," Sarkozy said in
Prague where he is attending the funeral of late Czech president and
revolution icon Vaclav Havel. "France is not giving lessons to anyone
but does not want them either," he said.
For his part, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier
accused Paris of committing "genocide" in its former colony Algeria
after French lawmakers voted a bill criminalizing the denial of
Armenian genocide by Ottoman-era troops.
"France massacred an estimated 15 percent of the Algerian population
starting from 1945. This is genocide," Erdogan told a news conference.
The Turkish premier also accused Sarkozy of "fanning hatred of Muslims
and Turks for electoral gains." (QNA)
December 23, 2011 Friday 3:00 PM EST
Turkish Ambassador Leaves France to Ankara for Consultations
Paris, December 23 (QNA) - Turkey's ambassador to Paris returned
Friday following a vote by the French parliament to ban the denial of
the Armenian genocide, an embassy spokesperson said noting meantime
that the recall of an ambassador is a diplomatic protest and is not
seen as a complete breakdown in diplomatic relations.
Tahsin Burcuoglu left from Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris
with his wife on a 7:40 a.m. flight and is expected in the Turkish
capital in the afternoon, the embassy spokesman Engin Solakoglu said.
Turkey's embassy in Paris will remain open during the ambassador's absence.
On Thursday, before leaving, Burcuoglu had told a news conference
France's ambassador in Turkey would not be asked to leave, although
French officials said he was already on a pre-arranged holiday in any
case. "We are really very sad. Franco-Turkish relations did not
deserve this," Burcuoglu said, blaming Paris for the row. "When there
is a problem it always comes from the French side."
Thursday's vote in the National Assembly was the first step towards
passing a law that would impose a jail term and a 45,000 euro fine on
anyone in France who denies that the 1915 massacre of Armenians
constitutes genocide.
During World War I hundreds of thousands of Armenians died at the
hands of Ottoman Turk forces. Armenia says 1.5 million died in a
genocide, Turkey says around 500,000 died in fighting after they sided
with a Russian invasion.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe called on Turkey not to
"overreact" to a bill that he insisted was a parliamentary initiative,
and not a project of President Nicolas Sarkozy's government.
"The damage is already done," responded Burcuoglu. "We have been
accused of genocide! How could we not overreact? Turkey will never
recognise this story of an Armenian genocide. "There are limits. A
country like Turkey cannot be treated like this. We're not the Turkey
of 2001 or 2006," he declared.
Meanwhile French President Nicolas Sarkozy Friday urged the mutual
respect of views between his country and Turkey amid a row over
France's criminalization of the denial of the Armenian genocide. "I
respect the views of our Turkish friends -- it's a great country, a
great civilization -- and they must respect ours," Sarkozy said in
Prague where he is attending the funeral of late Czech president and
revolution icon Vaclav Havel. "France is not giving lessons to anyone
but does not want them either," he said.
For his part, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier
accused Paris of committing "genocide" in its former colony Algeria
after French lawmakers voted a bill criminalizing the denial of
Armenian genocide by Ottoman-era troops.
"France massacred an estimated 15 percent of the Algerian population
starting from 1945. This is genocide," Erdogan told a news conference.
The Turkish premier also accused Sarkozy of "fanning hatred of Muslims
and Turks for electoral gains." (QNA)