PARIS—French President Nicolas Sarkozy this week sent a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urging reason and restraint in regards to a bill that would criminalize the denial of the Genocide and is to be considered by the French Senate Monday.
In his letter, Sarkozy outlined that France has dealt with its own past, and urged Turkey to follow suit by using reason. He also said that Turkey would be responsible for taking any steps that could damage bilateral relations.
In his letter, Sarkozy said the bill is “in no way aimed at any state or people in particular” and is intended to “protect the memories of members of our society who have been carrying along with them for a very long time the feeling of denial of what their ancestors went through and to heal their wounds inflicted a hundred years ago.”
“France has admitted the very bitter truths–its responsibility in the sale of slaves, its role in sending to death camps Jews living in France. In 2007, I myself condemned the atrocity of the French colonization in Algeria and spoke about the pains of the Algerian people,” explained Sarkozy in his letter.
“I hope we can make reason prevail and maintain our dialogue, as befits allies and friendly countries,” Sarkozy wrote.
“I want you to know that extreme steps, in connection with this bill, will harm relations between the two countries, and the responsibility will fall upon the party that has taken those steps,” Sarkozy said in his letter.
While Erdogan or his office did not comment on the letter, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quick to reject Sarkozy’s overture.
“We expect (President Nicolas) Sarkozy, his party, and the French Senate to respect European values before anything else. Those who exploit history will themselves suffer from this exploitation,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said in televised remarks.
“We invite each French senator to stop for a while and think beyond all political interests,” Davutoğlu told the press.
“If the bill passes, it will remain as a black stain in France’s intellectual history. And we will always remind them this black stain,” he said.
Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of France, Hratch Varjabedian told Asbarez that leaders of Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and the opposition Socialist party have expressed their support for the resolution ahead of Monday’s vote.
The Turks will deny, deny, deny till the bitter end. They fear that an admission of guilt will lead to their worst fears: reparations. They will deny as long as the world, including ethically-challenged politicians like our own Obama, allow them to get away with it. However, their day of judgement is approaching sooner than they may think.
Given the lexicon used by the Turkish prime minister, one realizes the absurdly dualistic reality of the Turkish state. They are going crazy trying to cope Western liberal secularism with Islamic theologically centered leadership. Lying is mostly nowadays a way to get by in politics and diplomacy, but you have to know at least how to do it. It is ridiculous that Turkey would expect to be successfully considered a part of the world politics and, even less, of world culture with such an “untreated” stain on their record. Cynism has its own limits. Sarkozy has hit the mark by saying that the Turkish state does not have the courage to face its past. I think Armenia is taking advantage of this weakness, but I also think should do more in this sense.
you can see the difference in between the races how one makes sense and the other none. all i say i will respect france and her values more
Sarkozy urges reason to Maddogan-ha,bloody ha,he must have helped himself to all the cognac he could find in the palace.He could have urged the gray wolves to become vegetarian with better success.Its nice to see the wild turkeys getting into their usual cold turkey state of `turkish` mind,and this time we hope they will never get out of it.Now its Uncle Tom Obamas turn to do the same.Who`s gonna urge some reason unto him???Good old Hillary???Or maybe we should find for him another Monica.
The black stains Mr Davutoglu belongs to Turkey, the Young Turks & the Ottoman Red Sultan! And what France is
doing, is underlining them and reminding humanity of its horrors and thus inflicting penalties on its perpetrators!
Your lies and history tampering can’t be sold anymore….! They’re too phony and cheap!
Here is a bunch of Turks who is running Turkey and teaching the european-values to europeans…
An analysis of these charcters’ (showed in the reply to President Sarkozys’ Letter) a disturbance in psychological development in which use of language, reaction to stimuli, interpretation of the world, and the formation of relationships are not fully established and follow unusual patterns of a serious mental condition that makes it difficult for someone to react to and communicate with other people.
I will beleive Sarkozy when l see it on Monday! The Senate Vote.
As we approach the 100 years , we American Armenians are indebted to the great nation of France for bringing light to “the 1915 Genocide of 1.5 million Armenians” by the murderous Turks.
Somebody give Prime Minister Erdogan some Valium to calm his nerves, in his scramble to hide Turkey’s crimes against humanity, he is firing off a staccato of BS. Someone should remind Erdogan, those living in glass houses should not throw stones.
Davutoglu (Ibn Daoud) and his president are stubborn persons – who would pay attention to Ibn Daoud injustices respond to Great France’s President. Davutoglu and his president needs brain surgery lol.
Mr Sarkozy’s letter appears to be an attempt to disguise the fact that the vote may go against us yet again….he has won the hearts of his Armeno-French citizens, so he can walk away with a clean conscience. Am I sounding too negative? Wait and see…..
Are we talking about the same Sarkozy who expelled many Romas out of his country and telling Algerians to move on when an Algerian minister brought up the Algerian genocide issue? Oh, what utter hypocrisy.
If your argument was valid, we could all become murderers and go around saying: the state can’t judge me, by paying soldiers they are just as bad. You know what the Algerians said about their “genocide” issue? Turkey, shut the hell up. Thats what they said.. wow, I never knew that Turks care about Roma, I only knew that you like to use “gypsy” as an insult…
BUT, most important: I realize that you people understand the concept of hypocricy, then obviously what you lack is self-reflection.
Turkey has no choice but to accept the truth. Why? Because sooner or later the truth will prevail. As patriotic Armenians we can’t forger the martyrs and heroes of Adana, Marash, Van, Erzurum and Shabin-Karahisar. We Armenians must be all united against all odds and enemies of our people. Instead of critizising each other and finding faults and mistakes we should concentrate and aim for undersatanding and cooperation among ourselves. Long live Armenians and our French brothers.Kevork
The French people are not supporting you. Your Armenian lobbies are controlling France and actually France is just as a vassal state of Armenia. Armenian supremacists are good at manipulating and being sneaky. Like how they claim to support the USA yet Wikileaks documents showed Armenia gave guns to Shiite Militants in Iraq to kill US Soldiers and how Armenian criminals stole 150 million in Medicare Fraud. Viva the great people of Turkey and down with Armenian Supremacy and Warmongering territorial demands and 1/2 truths about Armenian-Turkish history.
Hey dude, Turkish government should first accept what they have done, and then will have a chance to judge and pursuit too. See how it works? How can you say a little country would control a powerful one such as France? I am far from saying that Armenians are saints, though –God forbid!
to colorado GOP SAYS, JUST REMEMBER YOU TURK HYPOCRIT, TURKEY COMMITTED GENOCIDES, AGAINST ARMENIANS,GREEKS,ASSYRIANS AND KURDS. TURKEY IS GUILTY OF HORRIFIC SLAUGHTER,OF BABIES,CHILDREN,WOMEN AND MEN. WHO IS PAYING YOU TO WRITE SUCH NONESSEN,, TO AVOID THE TRUTH, , THE WHOLE WORLD NOW KNOWS THE HIPOCRISY OF GENOCIDAL TURKEY.
It is ridiculous what Davutoglu says about Black Stain ? Yes Black Stain will stay for TURKEY for EVER not France…The truth about Armenian Genocide that has been CARRIED OUT by the TURKS can NEVER EVER be DENIED…
and the other factor here is that, assume that Ottoman empire commited a genocide to armenians.Turkey is not considered a successor of Ottoman empire. why should Turkey be responsible for this? and if you think that Turkey is responsible for something Ottoman empire did (in fact Ottoman empire did nothing bad), give all lands which Ottoman empire had to Turkey. It is logical. If Turkey is responsible for that fake genocide, it should also be responsible for previous lands of Ottoman. it is fair. do you have any protest?
Sarkozy should tell davitugly and errogance to KISS.
“Now let’s come to France. Here, the first thing I would say is that it is only hypocritical for this county give lessons to others about the sanctity of human life: the more than 1.7 million innocent souls that the French colonizers brutally killed in Algeria is enough of a reason for France to remain shamefully silent when it comes to history and humanity. But countries do have double standards, and nations tend to see other’s crimes rather than their own.” From Mustafa Akyol, Writer of the Hurriyet newspaper
Wow, first it was 45.000, then it was 500.000, now its 1.7 millions. Hypocricy and or lack of self-reflexion, whatever it is the fact that you people can eat that shit makes it clear: something is wrong with you.
Oh and by the way, isn’t that the newspaper with the following subtitle:
“Turkey to the Turks”? Sounds reasonable to trust their writers, Senturk.
SENTURK BILGIN, YOU KNOW TURKEY IS GUILTY OF GENOCIDE, YOU ARE STILL THIRSTY FOR INNOCENT ARMENIAN BLOOD YOU HYPOCRIT!!!!
The black stains are the lies Turkey will defend and make themselves look ridiculous and violently crazy with anger in the process. So what else is new in the tribal mentality? There is no respect for truth at all but only for the lies they need to feed mass egomania. Think what a psychologist would say about that.
Turkish government is in denial, they have to take steps to free there guilty conscious if they have any left. Mr. Davutuglu first clean your black stain then advise others . DO NOT worry exploiting the history. I as an Armenian love all nations to remember and clean there soul, also Turkish people,living guilty is your psychology,you need a psychiatric evaluation, leading your nation uncivilized and Barbarian. You are still thirsty of human blood, wake up, do not live with fear if you have conscious, look at your picture, can you see fears in your eyes?
Turkish government is in denial, they have to take steps to free there guilty conscious if they have any left. Mr. Davutuglu first clean your black stain then advise others . DO NOT worry exploiting the history. I as an Armenian love all nations to remember and clean there soul, also Turkish people,living guilty is your psychology,you need psychiatric evaluation, leading your nation uncivilized and Barbarian. You are still thirsty of human blood, wake up, do not live with fear if you have conscious, look at your picture, can you see fears in your eyes?