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PROTESTS GREET TURKISH PRIME MINISTER ERDOGAN ON VISIT TO FRANCE
RFI , France
June 22, 2014 Sunday
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was met by demonstrators
when he visited the central French city of Lyon on Saturday.
Up to 1,000 French and Turkish left-wingers, Armenians, Kurds and
members of the Alevi religious community protested against Erdogan's
visit, accusing him of human rights abuses and repression of last
year's Gezi Park demonstrations.
Erdogan was touring European ahead of August elections, in which
Turkish citizens abroad will be able to vote for the country's
president for the first time.
Erdogan hasn't yet declared himself a candidate but is widely expected
to stand for the post after more than 11 years as premier.
In Lyon he met members of the city's Turkish community, urging them not
to forget their "culture, traditions, identity and especially faith"
while integrating in France.
On Friday he met President Francois Hollande at the Elysee presidential
palace.
He has already been to visit Turks in Germany and Austria and was
greeted by 100,000 opponents in Vienna.
These foreign constituencies are important to Erdogan, as his image
has suffered less damage among expatriate Turks than it has at home,
Dorothee Schmid of the French Institute for International Relations
told RFI.
From: Baghdasarian
RFI , France
June 22, 2014 Sunday
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was met by demonstrators
when he visited the central French city of Lyon on Saturday.
Up to 1,000 French and Turkish left-wingers, Armenians, Kurds and
members of the Alevi religious community protested against Erdogan's
visit, accusing him of human rights abuses and repression of last
year's Gezi Park demonstrations.
Erdogan was touring European ahead of August elections, in which
Turkish citizens abroad will be able to vote for the country's
president for the first time.
Erdogan hasn't yet declared himself a candidate but is widely expected
to stand for the post after more than 11 years as premier.
In Lyon he met members of the city's Turkish community, urging them not
to forget their "culture, traditions, identity and especially faith"
while integrating in France.
On Friday he met President Francois Hollande at the Elysee presidential
palace.
He has already been to visit Turks in Germany and Austria and was
greeted by 100,000 opponents in Vienna.
These foreign constituencies are important to Erdogan, as his image
has suffered less damage among expatriate Turks than it has at home,
Dorothee Schmid of the French Institute for International Relations
told RFI.
From: Baghdasarian