Tweet
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Jan 27 2012
French firms in Turkey disturbed by controversial 'genocide' bill
27 January 2012 / HASAN BOZKURT , ANKARA
Senior officials of French-owned companies operating in Turkey have
said a controversial bill that passed the French Senate, criminalizing
denying that the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of Ottomans
in the World War I-era almost a century ago was genocide, is
"disturbing and unnecessary," Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan told
reporters in Ankara on Friday.
The French Senate last Monday voted for the controversial bill,
ignoring warnings from Turkey. Both the ruling and opposition parties
as well as NGOs in Turkey were infuriated by the passing of the bill
while some unions called for a mass boycott on French products.
Çağlayan met senior officials from French companies that operate in
Turkey at the Ministry of Economy early on Friday in Ankara. The
minister spoke to the press following the meeting while company
officials declined to make any comments. "We discussed the possible
outcomes of the latest bill with the representatives of French firms.
They said what the Sarkozy government did was unreasonable and you do
not have to be a Turk to see that. ... We maintain our hopes that the
French politicians will find a way to correct their mistake. Everybody
knows that this was a populist decision and it will not bring benefit
to either side," Çağlayan noted. The minister said representatives of
French-owned firms in Turkey also met with French senators for a
possible solution in Paris. "The companies at today's meeting stressed
that they are happy with their investments in Turkey." Çağlayan
recalled that a senior official from a French company had said "they
wished some French politicians could behave as sensible as Turkish
officials did." "Another French entrepreneur wrote an article in which
he said the genocide bill was unnecessary."
France is Turkey's fifth largest exports market -- with a total
exports volume of $6.9 billion in 2011. French companies are active in
the fields of banking, energy, automobiles, retail, cosmetics and
pharmaceuticals in Turkey. Observers argue a mass boycott of French
goods might affect sales of individual businesses and force them to
pay much more for advertising. Turkey responded to genocide
allegations by saying that the 1915 killings of Armenians were not
ordered by the central Ottoman administration; rather, they were the
work of individuals who were angered by Armenian gangs killing Muslim
civilians in what is today eastern Turkey while the territory was
under the threat of a Russian invasion.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Jan 27 2012
French firms in Turkey disturbed by controversial 'genocide' bill
27 January 2012 / HASAN BOZKURT , ANKARA
Senior officials of French-owned companies operating in Turkey have
said a controversial bill that passed the French Senate, criminalizing
denying that the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of Ottomans
in the World War I-era almost a century ago was genocide, is
"disturbing and unnecessary," Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan told
reporters in Ankara on Friday.
The French Senate last Monday voted for the controversial bill,
ignoring warnings from Turkey. Both the ruling and opposition parties
as well as NGOs in Turkey were infuriated by the passing of the bill
while some unions called for a mass boycott on French products.
Çağlayan met senior officials from French companies that operate in
Turkey at the Ministry of Economy early on Friday in Ankara. The
minister spoke to the press following the meeting while company
officials declined to make any comments. "We discussed the possible
outcomes of the latest bill with the representatives of French firms.
They said what the Sarkozy government did was unreasonable and you do
not have to be a Turk to see that. ... We maintain our hopes that the
French politicians will find a way to correct their mistake. Everybody
knows that this was a populist decision and it will not bring benefit
to either side," Çağlayan noted. The minister said representatives of
French-owned firms in Turkey also met with French senators for a
possible solution in Paris. "The companies at today's meeting stressed
that they are happy with their investments in Turkey." Çağlayan
recalled that a senior official from a French company had said "they
wished some French politicians could behave as sensible as Turkish
officials did." "Another French entrepreneur wrote an article in which
he said the genocide bill was unnecessary."
France is Turkey's fifth largest exports market -- with a total
exports volume of $6.9 billion in 2011. French companies are active in
the fields of banking, energy, automobiles, retail, cosmetics and
pharmaceuticals in Turkey. Observers argue a mass boycott of French
goods might affect sales of individual businesses and force them to
pay much more for advertising. Turkey responded to genocide
allegations by saying that the 1915 killings of Armenians were not
ordered by the central Ottoman administration; rather, they were the
work of individuals who were angered by Armenian gangs killing Muslim
civilians in what is today eastern Turkey while the territory was
under the threat of a Russian invasion.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress