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Turkey slams Sarkozy over Genocide statement
October 8, 2011 - 11:08 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - In harsh response to recent remarks by French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who called on Turkey to face its history
and recognize the 1915 massacre of Armenians as Genocide, Turkey said
on Friday that France should look in the mirror before asking Turkey
to revisit its history.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters after his meeting with
Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) on the country's
foreign policy that he finds Sarkozy's remarks as an example of
`political populism.' He said his statements were wrong and were aimed
for [France's] domestic politics. `Any state or society who has a
colonial past and cannot face its own history does not have the right
to give lessons to Turkey. Those who want Turkey face its history
should look into mirror,' the minister said.
Sarkozy urged Turkey to recognize the 1915 incidents as Genocide,
threatening to pass a law in France that would make denying this a
crime.
`The Armenian Genocide is a historical reality. Collective denial is
even worse than individual denial,' Sarkozy told reporters.
`Turkey, which is a great country, would honor itself to revisit its
history like other great countries in the world have done,' the French
president added. On Friday, October 7 Sarkozy made further comments on
the issue, calling Turkey to `make a gesture of reconciliation,' and
warning that if Turkey refrained from taking any steps, France would
consider amending its legislation to penalize denial, according to
Today's Zaman.
From: A. Papazian
October 8, 2011 - 11:08 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - In harsh response to recent remarks by French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who called on Turkey to face its history
and recognize the 1915 massacre of Armenians as Genocide, Turkey said
on Friday that France should look in the mirror before asking Turkey
to revisit its history.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters after his meeting with
Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) on the country's
foreign policy that he finds Sarkozy's remarks as an example of
`political populism.' He said his statements were wrong and were aimed
for [France's] domestic politics. `Any state or society who has a
colonial past and cannot face its own history does not have the right
to give lessons to Turkey. Those who want Turkey face its history
should look into mirror,' the minister said.
Sarkozy urged Turkey to recognize the 1915 incidents as Genocide,
threatening to pass a law in France that would make denying this a
crime.
`The Armenian Genocide is a historical reality. Collective denial is
even worse than individual denial,' Sarkozy told reporters.
`Turkey, which is a great country, would honor itself to revisit its
history like other great countries in the world have done,' the French
president added. On Friday, October 7 Sarkozy made further comments on
the issue, calling Turkey to `make a gesture of reconciliation,' and
warning that if Turkey refrained from taking any steps, France would
consider amending its legislation to penalize denial, according to
Today's Zaman.
From: A. Papazian