ERDOGAN CALLS ON FRANCE TO LEAVE MINSK GROUP

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 14 2012
Turkey

The Turkish prime minister has called on France to quit as a member
of the Minsk Group aiming to secure a settlement to the conflict
between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Upper Karabakh.

“France has clearly shown that it has taken a side [in the Upper
Karabakh dispute] by adopting the law penalizing denial of Armenian
allegations. This is why it has to step down from the Minsk Group,”
Recep Tayyip Erdoðan told an interview on the Azeri national TV
network, ANS. He said French President Nicolas Sarkozy had never
been fair and sincere in his relations with Armenians and that his
judgment as a Minsk member could therefore not be trusted. Last month
the upper house of the French Parliament adopted a law that makes
denial of Armenian allegations punishable. The Minsk Group is an OSCE
initiative aimed at encouraging a peaceful, negotiated resolution to
disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh February/14/2012

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress