FM to Turkish envoys: Speak out to Armenians against genocide claims
In the face of approval of a bill by the French parliament that penalizes denial of Armenian “genocide” in France, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has urged Turkish ambassadors to speak out to every single Armenian around the world against the “bigotry of France.”
Addressing Turkish ambassadors serving overseas on the first day of a week long Foreign Ministry conference organized to conduct a comprehensive review of Turkish foreign policy and recent developments in international politics, Davutoğlu slammed France over the approval of the bill that makes denial of the alleged Armenian genocide a crime punishable by a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros.
“We will go and talk to every single Armenian against the bigotry stance France has taken. We will tell them how France and other countries create trouble among us,” Davutoğlu said.
Noting that the French Assembly had dictated how Europeans should think about the alleged Armenian genocide, Davutoğlu added, “This is no different than dictatorships in the Middle East.”
“I am appealing to European intellectuals. Protect your values. We will already raise our voice. We will go and say we do not recognize [the alleged genocide] wherever this is legally forbidden. We will raise our voice at the European Parliament. If Europeans do not protect these values, we will,” the Turkish minister said.
“It is France that is now being tested, not Turkey. The French Senate is being tested,” he added.
The highly controversial bill was approved by the French National Assembly on Thursday despite strong protests from Turkey. The bill still needs Senate approval, but once it passed the lower house, the Turkish government ended bilateral political and economic contact, suspended military cooperation and ordered his country’s ambassador home for consultation. Turkey argues that France is trampling freedom of expression and that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is on a vote-getting mission before the April presidential elections.
Davutoğlu said the measures against France announced by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are only initial measures, signaling that Ankara will introduce additional sanctions. “We have nothing in our history to shy away from. We draw our strength from our history,” he declared.
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If Mr. Davutoglu and the Turkish government value freedom of speech then they should abolish Article 301 from Turkish laws and let there be a free and open dialogue in Turkey about this subject. Turkey should lead by example. There’s no sense in just hitting the Europeans over the head like this. Do something first in your own country.