ERDOGAN: FRANCE HAS TRAMPLED ON PRINCIPLES OF LIBERTY

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Dec 22 2011
Germany

Dec. 22–ANKARA — “France has trampled on the principles of its own
revolution: Liberty, equality and fraternity,” Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday.

“It’s unfortunate for Turkey, but it is a bigger misfortune for
France,” said Erdogan, implying that France had lowered its values by
passing a bill making it a crime to deny that Ottoman Turks committed
genocide against their Armenian citizens in 1915-18.

“I ask you: Is there freedom of thought and freedom of expression
in France? The answer is, ‘No.’ France has abolished the spirit of
free discussion.”

Turkey says an estimated 300,000 Armenians were killed in fighting
that began after the Russian army invaded eastern Turkey in World War
I. It says the killings were not systematic and therefore cannot be
genocide, and adds an equal number of Muslim Turks were killed.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress