YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has urged Turkey to follow the example of France in facing the past by admitting that the Ottoman-era massacres of more than 1.5 million Armenians constituted genocide.
In an interview with the French daily, Le Figaro, on Monday Sarkisian stressed, however, that Armenia did not intend to damage Turkey by its welcoming the affirmations of the Armenian Genocide by the world governments. “Our policy is not based on the desire to harm Turkey. It is based on clear principles. We want Turkey’s ties with France and other European countries to expand, so that Turkey can, through these relations, embrace European values.”
On Monday Sarkisian held a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris with French President Francois Hollande as part of his three-day official visit to France. The Armenian leader thanked the French government and people for their recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide and appreciated Hollande’s position on a new bill to make denial of the genocide a criminal offense in France.
As a presidential candidate and later as elected president of France Hollande repeatedly assured the country’s influential Armenian community that he remained committed to enacting a new law in that regard. A similar measure initiated by Hollande’s predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy and passed by both houses of the French parliament was rejected by France’s highest court as “unconstitutional” last February.
The moves in France aimed at reaffirming the nation’s position on the Armenian Genocide have met strong opposition in Turkey whose leaders several times suspended political, economic and military ties with Paris over such developments in the past.
Sarkisian said that while welcoming decisions favoring Armenians in France, Armenia was not a direct factor influencing them.
“The policy of France in the issue of the Armenian Genocide is not dictated by us. France has publically recognized the Armenian Genocide and denial of this genocide is a continuation of the crime,” Sarkisian told the French newspaper. “We believe that those who try to revisit the history of genocide committed by one people against another fully share the responsibility for the crime.”
The Armenian president also said Turkish leaders should be able to face the past and follow the example of French leaders who have found the strength to speak about some of the dark pages of French history.
“French presidents have had the strength to face history. I applaud their courage. I will ask President Hollande to tell Turkish authorities how he personally condemned the deportation of Jews and their incarceration in concentration camps [during the Second World War]. This could serve as a lesson for the leaders of Turkey,” said Sarkisian.
” […..] We want Turkey’s ties with France and other European countries to expand, so that Turkey can, through these relations, embrace European values.”
Please Mr. Sarkisian, don’t talk to me about European values. These Europeans went around the globe colonizing, stealing, killing, and enslaving at will, and now that they had their fill, they want to portray themselves as civilized people. If they were truly civilized, they would not have such a shameless record of treating people on all other continents.
And by the way, Mr. Sarkisian, didn’t you send a formal congratulation letter to Turkey just a few weeks ago congratulating them on the founding of the Turkish Republic (October 1923)? Don’t you know that the Turkish Republic is founded as a result of the Armenian Genocide? Don’t you know that the Turkish Republic is founded on the ashes of the Armenian Nation? How could you possibly congratulate Turkey’s Republic Day? You’re not glad that the Turks enlarged their state at the expense of Western Armenia, are you? I am very disappointed, Mr. Sarkisian.
The Turk will always stay a Turk, a Genocidal Turk. Mr. Sarkissian, by wearing an European suit a Turk can not and will not gain European values. Killing and raping and axing human beings are traits of the Turks and never and ever foreget that Turkey has our Holy Western Armenia occupied.
You forgot to mention that they are also occupying Cilicia.
It’s about time we ought to act maturely, and not just driven by sentiments! Realpolitik(cs) is
something and wishful thinking is something else! Who said, that our Honorable President is
less patriotic than you Arman or Levon? Did you guys fight the Azeris in Berdzor(ex Latchin)
or in Aghri (ex Aghdam) or liberate Horatiz? Whenever you guys attain field experience and
acchieve public support like our President, then and only then are you entitled to criticize our 3rd
President! Nothing personal… Try to do better and you’ll get all the support you need!