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TURKEY THREATENS FRANCE WITH NEW SANCTIONS IN RESPONSE TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LAW - TURKISH MINISTER IN VILNIUS
Baltic News Service
January 11, 2012 Wednesday 3:05 PM EET
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS - Turkey plans to impose additional sanctions
against France, if the country adopts a bill criminalizing denial
of the Armenian genocide during World War I, Turkey's Minister of
European Union Affairs Egemen Bagis said in Vilnius on Wednesday.
"In the case that this illogical bill becomes a law, then there will
be further sanctions," the minister said in an interview for BNS.
Asked to elaborate on measures under consideration by Turkey, the
minister said: "I would rather not. I would leave it to imagination
of the French decision-makers."
Last month, France's National Assembly passed the bill making it
illegal to publicly deny that mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire in 1915 amounted to genocide. Deniers face up to one year in
prison and a fine of EUR 45,000.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill later this month.
The Armenians claim that around 4.5 million Armenians were killed by
the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1923. Turkey denies the fact of genocide
saying that Armenians were war casualties.
Turkey has also accused French President Nicolas Sarkozy of trying
by means of this law to lure voters of Armenian origin ahead of the
upcoming presidential elections.
"Our understanding is that this issue will somehow be on the agenda
until the French presidential elections, after which we will have to
reevaluate the situation," Bagis told BNS.
The Lithuanian parliament has also recognized the Armenian massacre as
genocide. In a resolution in 2005, the Seimas condemned "the Armenian
genocide by the Turkish Ottoman Empire in 1915" and called on Turkey
"to recognize this historic fact."
From: Baghdasarian
Baltic News Service
January 11, 2012 Wednesday 3:05 PM EET
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS - Turkey plans to impose additional sanctions
against France, if the country adopts a bill criminalizing denial
of the Armenian genocide during World War I, Turkey's Minister of
European Union Affairs Egemen Bagis said in Vilnius on Wednesday.
"In the case that this illogical bill becomes a law, then there will
be further sanctions," the minister said in an interview for BNS.
Asked to elaborate on measures under consideration by Turkey, the
minister said: "I would rather not. I would leave it to imagination
of the French decision-makers."
Last month, France's National Assembly passed the bill making it
illegal to publicly deny that mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire in 1915 amounted to genocide. Deniers face up to one year in
prison and a fine of EUR 45,000.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill later this month.
The Armenians claim that around 4.5 million Armenians were killed by
the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1923. Turkey denies the fact of genocide
saying that Armenians were war casualties.
Turkey has also accused French President Nicolas Sarkozy of trying
by means of this law to lure voters of Armenian origin ahead of the
upcoming presidential elections.
"Our understanding is that this issue will somehow be on the agenda
until the French presidential elections, after which we will have to
reevaluate the situation," Bagis told BNS.
The Lithuanian parliament has also recognized the Armenian massacre as
genocide. In a resolution in 2005, the Seimas condemned "the Armenian
genocide by the Turkish Ottoman Empire in 1915" and called on Turkey
"to recognize this historic fact."
From: Baghdasarian