ANKARA (Combined Sources)—From Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to parliamentary leaders to EU representatives, Turkish officials are scrambling to stay to ward off a scheduled vote on Thursday by the French legislature on a bill that would criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide.
Over the weekend, Erdogan blasted French President Nicolas Sarkozy and said France would bear irreparable consequences if the bill is approved by the legislature.
A group of Turkish parliamentarians held talks Monday with senior French politicians in a frantic attempt to stave off a French bill that would make it a crime to deny that Armenians were the victims of a genocide.
The delegation, led by Volkan Bozkir, president of the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs commission, met with Alex Poniatowski, Bozkir’s counterpart in France’s National Assembly and with Pierre Moscovici, a senior member of the opposition Socialist Party.
On Tuesday they were scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and the president of the National Assembly, Bernard Accoyer before returning to Ankara on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Turkish Embassy in Paris, Engin Solakoglu, told dpa Monday that the bill’s expected approval would lead to the immediate recall of Turkey’s ambassador and the ‘quasi-breakdown’ in relations.
Meanwhile, the Turkish president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mevlut Cavusoglu described the consideration of the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genoicide denial in France as “one of the nonsensical moves Sarkozy has initiated.”
Cavusoglu also stressed that he interprets the French move as part of an election campaign, calling out Sarkozy for “using Turkey as a tool” toward own his political motives.
“The law that criminalizes denial of Armenian genocide is first and foremost against the principles of the council [PACE], against the principle of freedom of thought,” said Cavusoglu.
In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu summoned more than 20 local executives last week from companies including Credit Agricole and Groupama to lobby them against the French bill.
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In 1990 the Jewish Holocaust was criminalized by the French government. Here we are nearly 22 years later without the same status. On December 22, 2011 we will see how the vote goes and whether or not the French government wants to continue its hypocritical stance or show that they believe in truth and will not fall victim to Turkish empty threats.
Correction, Holocaust ^denial
It’s irrelevant, even if Davutoglu summons 20000 executives, the noble French People’s reps won’t bow
to the turkish cheap shots in the the last few days before the vote!!! Have they before the Genocde vote???
If France allows itself to be bullied by a cheap, low class, uncivilized Islamofacist barbaric state like Turkey, it will destroy it’s honorable reputation.
Turks want freedom to lie. They are not interested in freedom of speech. How is it that Turkey says that this is a violation of the freedom of speech when it imprisons and kills anyone it wants under the Turkish penal code Article 501 where the government of Turkey can imprison anyone who they claim is un-Turkish
Sorry it is article 301 of the Turkish penal code, the same law they used to prosecute Hrant Dink , Orhan Parmuk and many others.
My Mother spoke Armenian and turkish.When speaking to my father she spoke turkish,because my Dad,couldnt speak Armenian.He was raised in a small village in turkey,speaking Armenian was forbidden.When I heard Armenian it sounded so beautiful,i.e. like the romance languages,Italian,Espainol.Now, turkish sounded more gutteral a swine resound,like a herd of pigs grunting.The picture of erdogen reminded me of the word mymoon(monkey)
Armenia should encourage France to pass this law through economic means such as buying French Matra MICA air defence missle system. It is cost effective and has two types of missles to counter any electronic jamming by Azeri or Turkish aircraft. It is good supplement to the Armenian air defense system. Furthermore , Armenia should buy used Lecrec tanks which are also excellent . It has modular armour which allows armour packages to be upgraded. It also is the only Western tank with an autoloader reducing the tank crew to 3 men instead of 4. Armenia should also create a tax free zone to encourage French investment.
Turkey should be told to “get stuffed” in no uncertain terms!
Hypocrits these days go beyond what classical literature could have imagined.
Turkey, yes: Turkey, defending the right of speech.. whats next?
Saudi Arabia defending womens rights, Iran defending homosexuality? Hilarious.
I think so you are facist,too.The problem is completely economic.
Armenia’s border crossings would say.You are not the problem of Turkey.We dont care about to Armenia.I think distracting to Armenia all west country
PLEASE BLOCK THIS IDIOT, HE IS A TURK THAT GOES BY” TURK F–KS YOU SAYS”