ALGIERS, Algeria (AFP)—Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia on Jan. 7 urged Turkey to stop trying to make political capital out of France’s killing of thousands of Algerians during the colonial period.
He made the call as Turkey continued to assail Paris ahead of a French Senate vote on a bill that would make it a crime for anyone to deny that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks amounted to genocide.
Turkey has accused France of hypocrisy for its own hand in killings committed in its former colony, Algeria, in 1945 and during the North African nation’s struggle for independence between 1954-62.
“An estimated 15 percent of the Algerian population was massacred by the French from 1945 onwards,” the Turkish prime minister said. “This is a genocide.”
Ouyahia said every country has the right to defend its interests, but “nobody has the right to make the blood of Algerians their business.”
French forces cracked down on a protest in the east Algerian city of Setif on May 8, 1945, to call for an end to French colonial rule, leaving 45,000 people dead, according to Algerian historians.
Western researchers put the death toll at between 8,000 and 18,000.
Ouyahia noted that Turkey was a member of NATO during the war in Algeria and provided material support to France.
“We say to our [Turkish] friends: Stop making capital out of Algeria’s colonization,” Ouyahia said at a press conference.
The French Lower House approved the genocide bill on Dec. 22, and the Senate is expected to vote on it by the end of January.
If enacted, anyone denying that the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman-Turk forces amounted to genocide could face jail time.
I applaud M. Ouyahia
Too little, too late. And not concerning the interests of France or Armenia, it would have been his duty to stop the instrumentalization of his countrys history when it happened – not three weeks later.
That’s nice and dandy, but when are our leaders, including those in the ARF going to tell the Knesset to stop doing the same thing? The AG is being misused by Israel against Turkey, enough is enough already.
How can even 45000 (8-18000) Algerians be equivalent to 15% of the Algerian population then est.
between 9-10Million, where the right figure is 0.0045% at most and 0.0008 at least?!!!
It looks like Mr Erdogan is loosing it or has turned to a pathological lier, where he believes his
own lies! Even the Algerian Prime Minister is accusing him of abusing Algerian blood, and when
Turkey was helping France with material support, then Turkey was involved in another Genocide
accordind to turkish logic. The implosion of turkish mind, logic and “logic of the illogic” has commenced
and the more they try to cover their crimes, the more they will expose themselves to their bloody
history, even when trying to defend their so called “friends” with their tears of crocodiles!
The French Lawmakers will teach Erdogan to shut his mouth and I advise every American Armenian
not to vote to President Obama, untill he learns some ethics of promise making from the Honorable French President Nicholas Sarkozy!!! (7)
Belgium, Switzerland, Slovakia, France on the 23rd of Jan. and the Domino effect when spread like a lightning!
We have a great deal of homework to do here @ the homefront!!!
Domino “will” spread not “when” !! Apologies.
I loathe the AKP with a passion and especially loathe Erdogan and Davutoglu (due to the fact I think CHP supports the best interests of Turkey), but I don’t think they were making politicial capital by stating the facts about Sarkozy’s double standards about foriegn policy.
Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia is a hero. He knows that Turkey has brutalized and oppressed not only Christians but also many Muslims also.Turkey has killed over 60,000 Kurds and continues to kill Kurds as we speak. Turkey claims to be the protector of Islam but it will gladly sell the Arabs and all non-Turkic muslims for money. Why was Turkey silent on the brutal oppression of the Palestinians for 60 years. Why did it suddenly start acting like the defender of the Palestinians .It is all an act to fool the Arabs. I am glad that our Arab friends are smart enough to realize what a two faced snake the Turks are.
A similar statement was made by Erdogan comparing Kashmir to Karabakh. This did not sit too well with the Indians.