TURKISH PM ANXCIOUS ABOUT THE LAW CRIMINALIZING THE DENIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 9 2006
Turkish Prime Minister Rejeb Tayyib Erdogan has threatened France
with economic sanctions in case of adoption of the bill criminalizing
negation of the Armenian Genocide.
The Anatolian News periodical reports that the Turkish Prime Minister
declared during the meeting with members of the Turkish-French Trade
Chamber and representatives of French companies that Turkish people
conceives such initiative of France as a hostile action. Third
countries should not intervene in Turkey-France bilateral relations.
He expressed the opinion that adoption of the bill will considerably
exacerbate the political and trade-economic relations between the
two countries. The Prime Minister called on representatives of French
companies to take efforts to block adoption of the bill criminalizing
the Armenian Genocide.
It should be noted that the draft to be discussed on October 12
envisages 5 years of imprisonment and 45 thousand Euros fine for those
who will deny that Armenians of the Ottoman Empire faced genocide
during World War I.