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GENOCIDE AND DEMOGRAPHICS: MORAL AND POLITICAL ASPECTS GUIDING FRENCH LAWMAKERS
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow
16.01.12 | 14:22
On January 23-24 the French Senate will launch discussions of a bill
earlier approved by the National Assembly criminalizing the denial of
all genocide - with the practical application affecting recognition
of the Armenian genocide.
There is a widespread opinion among Turkish political circles and
expert communities that the steps and intentions of the ruling
political party in France are dictated by campaign considerations
meant to win over the electorate who are of Armenian descent.
Meanwhile, plain arithmetic speaks against it: there are half a million
Armenians residing in France against that country's 10-times bigger
Muslim population.
And, although the lion share of them come from Arab countries, the
number of Turks in France is quite comparable with the number of
Armenians. Moreover, considering the fact that over the past several
years Turkey has been on a self-appointed mission of the "main defender
of the Muslim world interests", it is obvious that the "Armenian
electorate" cannot objectively vie with a united Turkish contingent.
Hence, by adopting the law criminalizing the denial of the Armenian
Genocide the ruling party is, actually, risking to lose more than it
might gain.
This issue, however, is more multi-dimensional, including both moral
and practical factors.
First of all it's the obvious intensification of Turkish-French
relations in the highlight of Ankara's policy of "neo-Ottomanism".
It's worth recalling what Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu
said before the French parliament discussion of the "Armenian bill":
"We are neo-Ottomans. Super powers are perplexed watching us. First of
all it's France which is trying to understand why we are working in
Africa. I have made an assignment that every African country should
have a Turkish embassy so that every time Sarkozy visits any of them
he would raise his eyes and see the Turkish flag. I have assigned to
rent embassy buildings in the best spots".
Hence, one of the pragmatic factors that contributed to the French
parliament's approval of the bill was the Turkish authorities'
downright disregard of French interests along Turkey's new political
course on a vast geographic area covering practically all of the
former Ottoman Empire.
So far the only recognition of the Armenian Genocide on a presidential
level (Jacques Chirac) as well as the intentions of the current
president to include the bill criminalizing the denial of genocides
in the Framework Agreement on combating racism and xenophobia and
circulate it in all of European Union (following the example of EU
countries adopting a similar law regarding the Holocaust) fit well
into this context.
However, the moral side of the issue cannot be ignored and fudging
everything to suit the logic of political expediency and cold
pragmatic calculation would be wrong. After all, France is one the
most hospitable countries were a large Armenian community has been
residing comfortably; it is, perhaps the most favorable country for
Armenian residents that has nurtured a great number of brilliant
musicians and artists, film directors and actors, politicians and
businesspeople of Armenian descent.
And if not by quantity, at least by quality it is indeed an "elite
electorate", an inseparable part of French creative and constructive
spirit, which objectively by the laws of nature cannot help but
influence (to this or that extent) on the positions and sentiments
of all of the French elite.
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow
16.01.12 | 14:22
On January 23-24 the French Senate will launch discussions of a bill
earlier approved by the National Assembly criminalizing the denial of
all genocide - with the practical application affecting recognition
of the Armenian genocide.
There is a widespread opinion among Turkish political circles and
expert communities that the steps and intentions of the ruling
political party in France are dictated by campaign considerations
meant to win over the electorate who are of Armenian descent.
Meanwhile, plain arithmetic speaks against it: there are half a million
Armenians residing in France against that country's 10-times bigger
Muslim population.
And, although the lion share of them come from Arab countries, the
number of Turks in France is quite comparable with the number of
Armenians. Moreover, considering the fact that over the past several
years Turkey has been on a self-appointed mission of the "main defender
of the Muslim world interests", it is obvious that the "Armenian
electorate" cannot objectively vie with a united Turkish contingent.
Hence, by adopting the law criminalizing the denial of the Armenian
Genocide the ruling party is, actually, risking to lose more than it
might gain.
This issue, however, is more multi-dimensional, including both moral
and practical factors.
First of all it's the obvious intensification of Turkish-French
relations in the highlight of Ankara's policy of "neo-Ottomanism".
It's worth recalling what Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu
said before the French parliament discussion of the "Armenian bill":
"We are neo-Ottomans. Super powers are perplexed watching us. First of
all it's France which is trying to understand why we are working in
Africa. I have made an assignment that every African country should
have a Turkish embassy so that every time Sarkozy visits any of them
he would raise his eyes and see the Turkish flag. I have assigned to
rent embassy buildings in the best spots".
Hence, one of the pragmatic factors that contributed to the French
parliament's approval of the bill was the Turkish authorities'
downright disregard of French interests along Turkey's new political
course on a vast geographic area covering practically all of the
former Ottoman Empire.
So far the only recognition of the Armenian Genocide on a presidential
level (Jacques Chirac) as well as the intentions of the current
president to include the bill criminalizing the denial of genocides
in the Framework Agreement on combating racism and xenophobia and
circulate it in all of European Union (following the example of EU
countries adopting a similar law regarding the Holocaust) fit well
into this context.
However, the moral side of the issue cannot be ignored and fudging
everything to suit the logic of political expediency and cold
pragmatic calculation would be wrong. After all, France is one the
most hospitable countries were a large Armenian community has been
residing comfortably; it is, perhaps the most favorable country for
Armenian residents that has nurtured a great number of brilliant
musicians and artists, film directors and actors, politicians and
businesspeople of Armenian descent.
And if not by quantity, at least by quality it is indeed an "elite
electorate", an inseparable part of French creative and constructive
spirit, which objectively by the laws of nature cannot help but
influence (to this or that extent) on the positions and sentiments
of all of the French elite.