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www.worldbulletin.net , Turkey
Oct 7 2011
Turkey reacts to Sarkozy threat during Armenia visit
The reactions came after Sarkozy had said France could pass a law,
similar to that in Switzerland, which would support Armenian
allegations regarding the incidents of 1915.
Turkey's European Union (EU) minister and chief negotiator said on
Friday that it would be better if the French president dealt with the
union's future instead of history.
Bagis's remarks came after Sarkozy had said France could pass a law,
similar to that in Switzerland, which would support Armenian
allegations regarding the incidents of 1915.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on a brief trip to the Caucasus,
urged Turkey on Thursday to recognize the 1915 killings of Armenians
as "genocide", threatening to pass a law in France that would make
having different views on the controversial matter "a crime".
Egemen Bagis said Nicolas Sarkozy if Sarkozy worked on how his country
could come out of the economic turbulence instead of assuming the role
of historians, it would be more meaningful for France and Europe.
"If Sarkozy develops projects on the future of the EU, it will be more
meaningful for not only EU-member France but also world peace and
order," Bagis told reporters in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"Sarkozy must have been frightened with the results of recent
political surveys in France so that he is assuming such approaches,"
Bagis said.
Bagis also said the duty of politicians was not to deal with history
and some incidents that occurred in the past, but to set the future.
"Political opportunism"
Turkey's foreign minister also said that France's confronting with its
own history would be beneficial for world peace.
Ahmet Davutoglu said there was nothing in the remarks French President
Nicolas Sarkozy made in Armenia that could make Turkey offended.
"It will be very beneficial if France confronts with its own history,
particularly with African nations," Davutoglu told reporters in
Ankara.
Minister Davutoglu said those who recommended that Turkey should
confront with its history should first of all look at themselves.
"I consider such remarks as political opportunism, and unfortunately
such political opportunism is faced in Europe whenever there is an
upcoming election," Davutoglu said.
Davutoglu said the remark was totally in line with internal politics
in France, and it was something that would have a negative impact on
Turkish-Armenian process.
It was impossible to think that such remarks would contribute to a
peace process, Davutoglu said.
Davutoglu said Turkish people lived together with the Armenians in
same cities, neighborhoods for centuries, and Armenian people had huge
contributions in Turkish architecture those days.
"We will confront with out history, there is not any problem. However,
mentalities who cannot confront with their own histories and who have
not intermingled with the societies they have ruled and who have seen
them as a lower class, should confront with their own histories,"
Davutoglu said.
Davutoglu said a state or a society that had a colonial history did
not have the right to give a lesson to Turkey to confront its history.
"We have always stated that the agonies experienced in 1915 are our
own agonies, and we suggested that we should share our agonies,"
Davutoglu also said.
Turkey rejects the term and denies that up to 1.5 million Armenians
died. It says many Muslim Turks and Kurds, as well as Christian
Armenians, were killed in inter-communal violence as Russian forces
invaded eastern Anatolia during World War One.
Agencies
Oct 7 2011
Turkey reacts to Sarkozy threat during Armenia visit
The reactions came after Sarkozy had said France could pass a law,
similar to that in Switzerland, which would support Armenian
allegations regarding the incidents of 1915.
Turkey's European Union (EU) minister and chief negotiator said on
Friday that it would be better if the French president dealt with the
union's future instead of history.
Bagis's remarks came after Sarkozy had said France could pass a law,
similar to that in Switzerland, which would support Armenian
allegations regarding the incidents of 1915.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on a brief trip to the Caucasus,
urged Turkey on Thursday to recognize the 1915 killings of Armenians
as "genocide", threatening to pass a law in France that would make
having different views on the controversial matter "a crime".
Egemen Bagis said Nicolas Sarkozy if Sarkozy worked on how his country
could come out of the economic turbulence instead of assuming the role
of historians, it would be more meaningful for France and Europe.
"If Sarkozy develops projects on the future of the EU, it will be more
meaningful for not only EU-member France but also world peace and
order," Bagis told reporters in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"Sarkozy must have been frightened with the results of recent
political surveys in France so that he is assuming such approaches,"
Bagis said.
Bagis also said the duty of politicians was not to deal with history
and some incidents that occurred in the past, but to set the future.
"Political opportunism"
Turkey's foreign minister also said that France's confronting with its
own history would be beneficial for world peace.
Ahmet Davutoglu said there was nothing in the remarks French President
Nicolas Sarkozy made in Armenia that could make Turkey offended.
"It will be very beneficial if France confronts with its own history,
particularly with African nations," Davutoglu told reporters in
Ankara.
Minister Davutoglu said those who recommended that Turkey should
confront with its history should first of all look at themselves.
"I consider such remarks as political opportunism, and unfortunately
such political opportunism is faced in Europe whenever there is an
upcoming election," Davutoglu said.
Davutoglu said the remark was totally in line with internal politics
in France, and it was something that would have a negative impact on
Turkish-Armenian process.
It was impossible to think that such remarks would contribute to a
peace process, Davutoglu said.
Davutoglu said Turkish people lived together with the Armenians in
same cities, neighborhoods for centuries, and Armenian people had huge
contributions in Turkish architecture those days.
"We will confront with out history, there is not any problem. However,
mentalities who cannot confront with their own histories and who have
not intermingled with the societies they have ruled and who have seen
them as a lower class, should confront with their own histories,"
Davutoglu said.
Davutoglu said a state or a society that had a colonial history did
not have the right to give a lesson to Turkey to confront its history.
"We have always stated that the agonies experienced in 1915 are our
own agonies, and we suggested that we should share our agonies,"
Davutoglu also said.
Turkey rejects the term and denies that up to 1.5 million Armenians
died. It says many Muslim Turks and Kurds, as well as Christian
Armenians, were killed in inter-communal violence as Russian forces
invaded eastern Anatolia during World War One.
Agencies