Turkey hails French court’s decision

Ankara offers up a possible olive branch in the wake of the French judiciary’s rejection of an Armenian ‘genocide’ denial bill, with Foreign Minister Davutoglu saying: ‘We want to share the pain of those who are ready to share it with us’ .

Turkey is ready to share the pain of Armenians as they prepare to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1915 killings, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said following a French court’s rejection of a “genocide” denial bill.

“We want to share the pain of those who are ready to share it with us,” Davutoglu was quoted as saying by Anatolia news agency in an interview with state-run television TRT Haber late Feb. 28, Agence France-Presse reported.

Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their forebears were killed in a 1915-16 events while Turkey says 500,000 died and ascribes the toll to fighting and starvation during World War I.

“It is necessary to keep channels open in order to share history,” said Davutoglu.

Davutoglu’s remarks came after France’s Constitutional Council struck down a government-backed law criminalizing denials of the 1915 events as genocide on the grounds that it contradicts the French constitution and violated freedom of expression; the council’s rejection was quickly welcomed by Turkey.

Historical problems between Turkey and Armenia can be solved between the two states, President Abdullah Gül told reports yesterday following the council’s decision.

“If third countries intervene into this issue, it will be a mistake; it will not help,” he said, adding that the problem would only become deadlocked otherwise. Gül also reiterated Turkey’s proposal for a joint history commission to investigate the 1915 incidents.

Turkey hails French court’s decision

Parliamentary Speaker Cemil Çicek said yesterday that the Constitutional Council had given a clear message that history should not be written by parliaments.

“The decision of the council, which is based on the grounds of law, is compatible with France’s tradition of democracy and experience as a state with the rule of law,” Cicek said in a statement. “Our expectation is for France to contribute to a solution of the historical problem between Turkey and Armenia through dialogue.”

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Ar?nc said via his Twitter account late Feb. 28 that the Constitutional Council had given a legal lesson to the French politicians who had backed the “freakish” legislation.
Turkey’s EU minister, Egemen Bag??, said France had averted a “historical mistake,” while Davutoglu called the decision “an important step that will legally avert future exploitations.”

R?fat Hisarc?kl?oglu, the chairman of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Exchange Commodities (TOBB), a business organization that lobbied in France against the denial law, also said the council had averted a historical mistake. In a written statement released yesterday, Hisarc?kl?oglu thanked the French businessman who “stood by Turkey.”


/Hurriyet Daily News/