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www.WorldBulletin.net, Turkey
April 28 2012
President Gül blames French politicians for escalating Turkophobia
Gül has blamed French politicians for using the so-called Armenian
genocide as a tool for triggering Turkophobia in France.
World Bulletin/News Desk
President Abdullah Gül has blamed French politicians for using the
so-called Armenian genocide as a tool for triggering Turkophobia in
France.
Speaking on the 97th anniversary of the Battle of Çanakkale, Gül said
that every year Turkey holds a ceremony for commemorating the French
soldiers who died at Çanakkale, but France does not exhibit the same
good intentioned approach towards Turkey.
`After the Republic was established, we avoided reopening old wounds
so future generations would not inherit these pains. Unfortunately,
the Armenian Diaspora has started to use this tragic event as a tool
for preserving their identity and enhancing the feeling of solidarity
between themselves since the 1960s. Some countries have unfairly
ratified laws that criminalize the so-called Armenian genocide.
Politicians who have voted in favor of these laws don't have any
knowledge of the political conditions of the time; they are chasing
political benefits,' said Gül.
Reiterating Turkey's call for the establishment of a non-partisan
commission comprised of respected Turkish and foreign historians for
investigating the 1915 events, Gül noted that neither Armenia nor
France have given a positive response to this call.
`We frequently observe with sorrow today that French politicians are
exploiting the World War I-era deaths of Armenians to gain the support
of the Armenian community living in France and therefore encouraging
Turkophobia in France,' he added.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry released a written statement on Tuesday
night accusing French presidential rivals Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois
Hollande of exploiting the World War I-era deaths of Armenians during
the Ottoman Empire to garner votes from its sizeable Armenian
community ahead of the second presidential run-off.
The statement said declarations by the French presidential rivals
regarding the 1915 events are `another example of the exploitation of
controversial historical issues for political gain.'
The statement added that it is unfortunate that history is politicized
based on various goals, and that prejudiced behavior won't help
further justice or create a better understanding of history.
The Turkish government has also urged French politicians to exercise
restraint as statesmen and said it's impossible to obtain results
through an outside, artificial imposition on a subject where the
involved states should reach a solution. The statement added that
similar statements are detrimental to peace efforts in the region.
April 28 2012
President Gül blames French politicians for escalating Turkophobia
Gül has blamed French politicians for using the so-called Armenian
genocide as a tool for triggering Turkophobia in France.
World Bulletin/News Desk
President Abdullah Gül has blamed French politicians for using the
so-called Armenian genocide as a tool for triggering Turkophobia in
France.
Speaking on the 97th anniversary of the Battle of Çanakkale, Gül said
that every year Turkey holds a ceremony for commemorating the French
soldiers who died at Çanakkale, but France does not exhibit the same
good intentioned approach towards Turkey.
`After the Republic was established, we avoided reopening old wounds
so future generations would not inherit these pains. Unfortunately,
the Armenian Diaspora has started to use this tragic event as a tool
for preserving their identity and enhancing the feeling of solidarity
between themselves since the 1960s. Some countries have unfairly
ratified laws that criminalize the so-called Armenian genocide.
Politicians who have voted in favor of these laws don't have any
knowledge of the political conditions of the time; they are chasing
political benefits,' said Gül.
Reiterating Turkey's call for the establishment of a non-partisan
commission comprised of respected Turkish and foreign historians for
investigating the 1915 events, Gül noted that neither Armenia nor
France have given a positive response to this call.
`We frequently observe with sorrow today that French politicians are
exploiting the World War I-era deaths of Armenians to gain the support
of the Armenian community living in France and therefore encouraging
Turkophobia in France,' he added.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry released a written statement on Tuesday
night accusing French presidential rivals Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois
Hollande of exploiting the World War I-era deaths of Armenians during
the Ottoman Empire to garner votes from its sizeable Armenian
community ahead of the second presidential run-off.
The statement said declarations by the French presidential rivals
regarding the 1915 events are `another example of the exploitation of
controversial historical issues for political gain.'
The statement added that it is unfortunate that history is politicized
based on various goals, and that prejudiced behavior won't help
further justice or create a better understanding of history.
The Turkish government has also urged French politicians to exercise
restraint as statesmen and said it's impossible to obtain results
through an outside, artificial imposition on a subject where the
involved states should reach a solution. The statement added that
similar statements are detrimental to peace efforts in the region.