Turkish Parliament Condemns French Genocide Bill
Turkish police guard the French consulate in Istanbul during an October 8 protest against a French 'Armenian genocide' bill (epa)
The statement says the approval of the draft by the lower house of the French parliament on October 12 will inflict irreparable damage on political, economic and military relations between Turkey and France.
The document, supported by all political parties, also says Armenia will pay a heavy price for using lobbies against Turkey.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told lawmakers that the bill will inflict "irreparable damage" to French-Turkish ties, if adopted.
Observers say the bill is unlikely to become law due to resistance from the French Senate and President Jacques Chirac.
(Reuters, dpa, AFP)
CALL IT GENOCIDE? Questions surrounding the mass killings of Armenians at the beginning of the last century continue to dominate relations between Armenia and Turkey. In April,
Ankara proposed conducting a joint Armenian-Turkish investigation into the mass killings and deportations of Armenians during World War I.
Turkish leaders suggested that the two countries set up a joint commission of historians to determine whether the massacres carried out between 1915 and 1917 constituted genocide. Armenia, however, insisted it would continue to seek international recognition and condemnation of what it says was a deliberate attempt at exterminating an entire people....(more)
See also:
Armenians Mark 90th Anniversary Of Start Of Massacres
Armenia: Tragedy Remains On Europe’s Political Map
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