Tweet
ANALYSTS: FRANCE TO PURSUE ARMENIAN ISSUE TO CURB TURKEY'S REGIONAL AMBITIONS
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow
12.07.12 | 11:07
Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan (l), Hakob Chakryan
Political analysts and experts on Turkey say the French move to
criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide is conditioned by the
desire of Paris to check Ankara's influence and activity in the region.
"The Armenian issue will continue to be pursued against Turkey, as a
result of which its positions in the region cannot be dominant. Along
with the talk of Turkey's accession to the European Union, France
and Germany are taking measures to curb Ankara's activity, and the
Armenian issue is considered to be one of these restrictive measures,"
says political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan.
The bill criminalizing the public denial of the Armenian Genocide
that won the approval of the French Senate earlier this year but
was later quashed by the country's Constitutional Council as an act
restricting freedom of speech caused tensions in the relations between
Ankara and Paris, triggering Turkish sanctions against France. Like
his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, current French President Francois
Hollande, too, has pledged to come up with a new bill to punish the
denial of the Armenian Genocide.
During a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart in Paris
last week French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius indicated that the
Constitutional Council's ruling revoking the Armenian Genocide-related
law would make it impossible to take up the issue again. The remarks
were made as official Ankara announced the removal of all sanctions
imposed on Paris over the passage of the Armenian Genocide-related
law. But soon after that President Hollande reassured members of the
influential Armenian community of France that he remained committed
to his campaign pledge to have the legislation passed despite the
controversial comments made by his foreign minister.
"It is not important whether during the time of the new president in
office the denial of the Armenian Genocide will be criminalized in
France or not; the statements by the foreign ministers of Turkey and
France are not important either. The important thing for us is that
Turkey is dependent on Europe both economically and politically. The
[Armenian] issue will always be pursued against this state so it
cannot establish dominance in the region," says Melik-Shahnazaryan.
Hakob Chakryan, a specialist in Turkish studies, thinks that France's
international prestige may suffer if a similar bill presented by the
president is rejected again.
"This time the resolution will not fail. Improvement of Turkish-French
relations does not mean that the resolution will not be passed. It
will be passed this time around. Turkey and France are countries of
different standings. France is one of the five permanent members of
the United Nations Security Council. The Turks know all too well that
their levers of influencing France are very limited. So France won't
wince before Turkey," says the expert.
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow
12.07.12 | 11:07
Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan (l), Hakob Chakryan
Political analysts and experts on Turkey say the French move to
criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide is conditioned by the
desire of Paris to check Ankara's influence and activity in the region.
"The Armenian issue will continue to be pursued against Turkey, as a
result of which its positions in the region cannot be dominant. Along
with the talk of Turkey's accession to the European Union, France
and Germany are taking measures to curb Ankara's activity, and the
Armenian issue is considered to be one of these restrictive measures,"
says political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan.
The bill criminalizing the public denial of the Armenian Genocide
that won the approval of the French Senate earlier this year but
was later quashed by the country's Constitutional Council as an act
restricting freedom of speech caused tensions in the relations between
Ankara and Paris, triggering Turkish sanctions against France. Like
his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, current French President Francois
Hollande, too, has pledged to come up with a new bill to punish the
denial of the Armenian Genocide.
During a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart in Paris
last week French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius indicated that the
Constitutional Council's ruling revoking the Armenian Genocide-related
law would make it impossible to take up the issue again. The remarks
were made as official Ankara announced the removal of all sanctions
imposed on Paris over the passage of the Armenian Genocide-related
law. But soon after that President Hollande reassured members of the
influential Armenian community of France that he remained committed
to his campaign pledge to have the legislation passed despite the
controversial comments made by his foreign minister.
"It is not important whether during the time of the new president in
office the denial of the Armenian Genocide will be criminalized in
France or not; the statements by the foreign ministers of Turkey and
France are not important either. The important thing for us is that
Turkey is dependent on Europe both economically and politically. The
[Armenian] issue will always be pursued against this state so it
cannot establish dominance in the region," says Melik-Shahnazaryan.
Hakob Chakryan, a specialist in Turkish studies, thinks that France's
international prestige may suffer if a similar bill presented by the
president is rejected again.
"This time the resolution will not fail. Improvement of Turkish-French
relations does not mean that the resolution will not be passed. It
will be passed this time around. Turkey and France are countries of
different standings. France is one of the five permanent members of
the United Nations Security Council. The Turks know all too well that
their levers of influencing France are very limited. So France won't
wince before Turkey," says the expert.