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BAGIS DEFIANT ON GENOCIDE DENIAL STANCE
Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 8 2012
Turkey
Turkey's EU affairs minister reiterated his denial of Armenian genocide
allegations yesterday in a further challenge to Swiss authorities,
who are investigating whether similar comments made last month broke
the law.
Bag覺癬_ said yesterday that Swiss prosecutors should not lose any
time in determining whether he made the comments at the World Economic
Forum in Davos and at a concert in Zurich.
"I said there on that day that what happened in 1915 was not genocide
and I repeat that today. Nobody should doubt that I will give the same
answer every time I am asked," Bag覺癬_ told a news conference. "I
don't recognize any power that can detain any minister of the Turkish
Republic. I am very much at ease on this subject."
Turkey summoned the Swiss ambassador Feb. 6 to complain about the
decision by Swiss officials to investigate Bag覺癬_'s comments.
"If necessary I will go again to Davos and say the same thing,"
he said.
Swiss anti-racism laws make genocide denial illegal.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu sought to play down the
preliminary investigation against Bag覺癬_, saying it was a routine
procedure launched upon complaints by Swiss Armenians.
"The inquiry was opened following an application by an Armenian
association. In Turkey too, a preliminary enquiry is conducted when
anyone goes to court," the minister told reporters.
He said the attitudes of the Swiss and French governments on punishing
the denial of the Armenian "genocide" were completely different.
"In France, there is a government supporting the law," he said, adding
that the Swiss government had opposed a court ruling that convicted
Turkish politician Dogu Perincek there for denying that genocide took
place. "Switzerland has shown that it stands against that by lending
support for the creation of a joint history commission with us,"
Davutoglu said.
The European Parliament's Turkey rapporteur, Ria Oomen-Ruijten,
also lent her support to Bag覺癬_ yesterday after they met in Brussels.
Oomen-Ruijten said everyone must have freedom of expression.
Bag覺癬_ was expected to meet European Parliamentary President Martin
Schulz, Socialist Group leader Hannes Swoboda and members of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs in Brussels. Bag覺癬_ is also expected
to have a meeting with European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan
Fule and European Commissioner for Competition Joaquin Almunia.
Last month, the French Senate approved legislation criminalizing the
denial of the 1915 events as genocide, prompting an angry response
from Turkey.
Meanwhile, Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel
would not recognize any genocide by law other than the Holocaust,
daily Hurriyet reported yesterday.
Compiled from AA and Reuters stories by the Daily News staff.
Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 8 2012
Turkey
Turkey's EU affairs minister reiterated his denial of Armenian genocide
allegations yesterday in a further challenge to Swiss authorities,
who are investigating whether similar comments made last month broke
the law.
Bag覺癬_ said yesterday that Swiss prosecutors should not lose any
time in determining whether he made the comments at the World Economic
Forum in Davos and at a concert in Zurich.
"I said there on that day that what happened in 1915 was not genocide
and I repeat that today. Nobody should doubt that I will give the same
answer every time I am asked," Bag覺癬_ told a news conference. "I
don't recognize any power that can detain any minister of the Turkish
Republic. I am very much at ease on this subject."
Turkey summoned the Swiss ambassador Feb. 6 to complain about the
decision by Swiss officials to investigate Bag覺癬_'s comments.
"If necessary I will go again to Davos and say the same thing,"
he said.
Swiss anti-racism laws make genocide denial illegal.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu sought to play down the
preliminary investigation against Bag覺癬_, saying it was a routine
procedure launched upon complaints by Swiss Armenians.
"The inquiry was opened following an application by an Armenian
association. In Turkey too, a preliminary enquiry is conducted when
anyone goes to court," the minister told reporters.
He said the attitudes of the Swiss and French governments on punishing
the denial of the Armenian "genocide" were completely different.
"In France, there is a government supporting the law," he said, adding
that the Swiss government had opposed a court ruling that convicted
Turkish politician Dogu Perincek there for denying that genocide took
place. "Switzerland has shown that it stands against that by lending
support for the creation of a joint history commission with us,"
Davutoglu said.
The European Parliament's Turkey rapporteur, Ria Oomen-Ruijten,
also lent her support to Bag覺癬_ yesterday after they met in Brussels.
Oomen-Ruijten said everyone must have freedom of expression.
Bag覺癬_ was expected to meet European Parliamentary President Martin
Schulz, Socialist Group leader Hannes Swoboda and members of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs in Brussels. Bag覺癬_ is also expected
to have a meeting with European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan
Fule and European Commissioner for Competition Joaquin Almunia.
Last month, the French Senate approved legislation criminalizing the
denial of the 1915 events as genocide, prompting an angry response
from Turkey.
Meanwhile, Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel
would not recognize any genocide by law other than the Holocaust,
daily Hurriyet reported yesterday.
Compiled from AA and Reuters stories by the Daily News staff.