Month: February 2012

TURKISH FM: TURKEY SUPPORTS FRANCE’S EXCLUSION FROM THE OSCE MINSK GROUP

Trend
Jan 28 2012
Azerbaijan

Turkey supports exclusion of France from the co-chairmansip of the
OSCE Minsk Group, since having adopted law criminalizing denial of
the so-called “Armenian genocide” Paris lost its objectivity, Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said with an interview to CNN Turk.

“Mr Sarkozy during his visit to the South Caucasus had been in Armenia
for 2 days while in Azerbaijan he spent just few hours. It is evidence
of his bias,” Mr Davutoglu said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of

Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7
surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

The minister also added if France remains co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
group Turkey also should become a co-chair of this group.

Mr Davutoglu said the French co-chairmanship in this group is wrong
as this country lost its neutrality in this issue.

After eight hours of discussion, the Senate (upper chamber of the
French parliament) voted for adoption of the law criminalising denial
of the so called “Armenian genocide”. Some 127 senators voted for,
while 86 against.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was preparing
new sanctions against France.

The Lower House of the French Parliament adopted a bill criminalising
the denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide” on Dec.22, 2011

The bill demands about a year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000
euros for denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide”.

MPs from the French President’s Union for Popular Movement (UMP)
party which has the parliamentary majority, proposed the bill which
aims at criminalising denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide” to
the legislative committee of the National Assembly in early December.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the Turkey
– Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against the Armenians
living in Anadolu, and achieved recognition of the “Armenian Genocide”
by the parliaments of several countries.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY SUPPORTS WITHDRAWAL OF FRANCE FROM OSCE MINSK GROUP

State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan
January 29, 2012 Sunday

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has stressed the need to
discuss the chairmanship of France in the OSCE Minsk Group which was
founded to settle Nagorno Karabakh conflict in 1992 and has Turkey
as its member. Davutoglu told CNN Turk that it was time to discuss
the withdrawal of France from OSCE Minsk Group,

Being a member of the Minsk Group, Turkey will ask how the country,
whose parliament passed such a law (a bill criminalizing the denial
of the soc-called Armenian genocide) can be a mediator. Later it will
ask it for the sake of the rights of the fraternal Azerbaijan, 20%
of which has been occupied. It is high time for us to discuss it,
the Turkish FM noted.

Either Turkey must sit at the table along with the co-chairs, or
France must be withdrawn. This is the position of Turkey, he added.

DEPUTY SPEAKER: AZERBAIJAN TO REMAIN CLOSE TO TURKEY

Trend
Jan 30 2012
Azerbaijan

The issue of the French Senate adopting a law criminalizing the denial
of the so-called “Armenian Genocide” is still on the Azerbaijani
parliament’s agenda, Vice Speaker Bahar Muradova said at a press
conference today.

“The Azerbaijani government and the parliament continue efforts
to prevent the final adoption of the law taking into account its
forthcoming consideration by the French Constitutional Court,”
Muradova said.

“We are categorically against the law, which embodies a historic
injustice,” she said. “Unfortunately, the law was presented upon French
President Nicolas Sarkozy’s initiative, and was adopted by parliament.”

The Azerbaijani parliament adopted an appeal to French MPs on Dec. 30.

Vice Speaker stressed that Azerbaijan perceives any actions against
Turkey’s interests as those directed against it.

“We advise those who follow whether Azerbaijan supports Turkey or
not to do useless work,” she said. “Azerbaijan was always and will
be close to Turkey.”

Previously, Turkish media tried to diminish Azerbaijan’s reaction
to the law criminalizing the denial of the genocide adopted by the
French parliament.

After eight hours of discussion, the Senate (upper chamber of the
French parliament) voted for adoption of the law criminalising denial
of the so called “Armenian genocide”. Some 127 senators voted for,
while 86 against.

The Lower House of the French Parliament adopted a bill criminalizing
the denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide” on Dec.22, 2011

The bill demands about a year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000
euros for denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide”.

From: A. Papazian

TURKISH AMBASSADOR: FRANCE WITHDRAWAL FROM MINSK GROUP EXPECTED

Trend
Jan 30 2012
Azerbaijan

Withdrawal of France from the OSCE Minsk Group is expected, the
Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Hulusi Kilic said on Monday.

Kilic said, further participation of France in the Minsk Group will
be considered.

“Withdrawal of France from the Minsk Group is expected. Of course,
Azerbaijan has openly announced distrust of France. We expect that
France will learn a lesson from it,” Kilic said.

Kilic stressed once again that the law, adopted by France is unfair.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

TURKISH AMBASSADOR: SOME FORCES WANT TO HARM RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN

Trend
Jan 30 2012
Azerbaijan

There is a feeling that the French and Armenians have been left behind,
and some other forces want to harm relations between Azerbaijan and
Turkey, and they should be ashamed, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan
Hulusi Kilic said at event dedicated to 20th anniversary of diplomatic
relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

“People with bad intentions under the guidance and direction of others
want to harm relations between the two countries” Kilic said.

On Jan.23, after eight hours of discussion, the French Senate
voted for adoption of the law criminalizing denial of the so-called
“Armenian genocide”.

Some Turkish media unfairly belittle the reaction of Azerbaijan and
blame it in no responding to the adoption of the law.

Kilinc noted that Azerbaijan opposes the adoption of this law together
with Turkey. The Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, Milli
Majlis (parliament), and civil society organizations have expressed
their protest.

“The instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey states
that in a country where there is no embassy of Azerbaijan, the Turkish
embassies must perform the mission,” Kilic said.

Kilinc said, very important meetings and visits have been held between
Azerbaijan and Turkey for over the past 20 years.

“Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project became the project of
century thanks to the national leader Heydar Aliyev. Baku – Tbilisi –
Kars is also one of the projects of the century” Kilinc said.

Kilinc noted that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Turkey
has exceeded $3 billion in 2011.

RULING PARTY: FICTITIOUS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” LEVELED AGAINST BOTH TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN

Trend
Jan 31 2012
Azerbaijan

Regardless of where issue of the fictitious “Armenian genocide” is
discussed in whole it is leveled both against Turkey and Azerbaijan,
the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) said.

“Before and during the discussion of the fictitious “Armenian genocide”
in the French parliament the Azerbaijani side very sharply responded
to it,” Deputy Executive Secretary of the NAP, MP Mubariz Gurbanly
told Trend on Monday.

Earlier, some Turkish mass media outlets tried to diminish Azerbaijan’s
reaction to adoption by the French Parliament of the law criminalising
the denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide”.

Not only today but earlier when work on recognition in the French
parliament of the fictitious “Armenian genocide” was carried out
during the presidency of Heydar Aliyev the Azerbaijani Parliament
and government very seriously responded to this, he said. A very big
protest letter, related to this issue, was sent to the French Senate.

“Later the Azerbaijani side noted Armenia and actions of the Armenian
lobby damaged peace in the regions and we opposed the law,” Mr
Gurbanly said.

Both on the eve of and during the discussion of this law in the French
Parliament in 2011 the Azerbaijani side expressed its position.

Address of President Ilham Aliyev at his meeting with members of
the Turkish parliament, addresses of the head of department of the
President’s Administration Novruz Mammadov and the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry, as well as protest letters of socio-political structures of
Azerbaijan, the NAP, youth union of the NAP to the French parliament
and protests of Azerbaijani journalists were published in mass media
outlets. The Turkish embassy and Turkish public were informed on that,
he noted.

“As for some materials published in a number of Turkish mass media
outlets in regard to this issue and speeches concerning allegedly weak
support of Azerbaijan in this issue I believe it’s wrong. I personally
carefully familiarized with two publications of the Turkish press. The
article’s author asks why Azerbaijan didn’t express his attitude toward
this issue at governmental level. However Azerbaijan did express its
attitude at governmental level,” the MP noted.

Azerbaijan openly demonstrated its position, he stressed. The Ministry
of Foreign Affairs as official state structure disseminated statement.

That’s why it’s inadmissible that such articles damaging strategic
friendship and cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan are published
in the Turkish press. It is regarded as attempt to direct Turkish
public opinion to faulty course, Mr Gurbanly stressed.

“That’s why we believe such articles shouldn’t emerge and as far
as I am concerned Turkish public opinion is quite fully provided
by information sent by Azerbaijan. I think in future need in such
articles will fall away. It’s impossible to refer these articles to
all Turkish mass media outlets and I didn’t meet such articles in
the official press,” Mr Gurbanly said.

This is not of mass nature and isn’t official position of Turkey,
he noted.

“The official position of the Turkish government is known, it
knows that Azerbaijan and Turkey are allies and work carried out
by Azerbaijan in this direction is also known to all people. These
materials may emerge as a result of activities of groups located
in Turkey that want to harm Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship,” Mr
Gurbanly said.

On Jan.23, after eight hours of discussion, the Senate (upper chamber
of the French parliament) voted for adoption of the law criminalising
denial of the so called “Armenian genocide”. Some 127 senators voted
for, while 86 against.

The bill demands about a year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000
euros for denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide”.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the Turkey
– Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against the Armenians
living in Anadolu, and achieved recognition of the “Armenian Genocide”
by the parliaments of several countries.

From: A. Papazian

EU SHOULD APPOINT ITS REPRESENTATIVE TO RESOLVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Trend
Jan 31 2012
Azerbaijan

It is necessary to appoint a special authorized representative
from the European Union as an alternative to France to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani MP, chairman of the committee in
the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Fuad Muradov told Trend on Tuesday.

“This person will speak about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on behalf
of the EU,” he said.

Mr Muradov said that similar representative was appointed in due
time to resolve the problem with the Balkans and conflicts in the
African countries.

France does not want to agree on that since it intends to defend its
positions in the PACE, he said.

“At present, France preserves the opportunity of interference, though
scanty, in any process in the OSCE Minsk Group,” he said.

This issue must be included on the agenda of the Council of Europe, the
EU, the OSCE, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
and at other platforms for the alternative person, who will deal
with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and report back to the European
Parliament, to be appointed in Europe, MP said.

He also stressed that it is doubtful that France will remain in the
OSCE Minsk group.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

From: A. Papazian

LA PENALISATION DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN EN DEBAT

Nonfiction.fr

26 janvier 2012
France

Ce lundi 23 janvier, le Parlement francais vient d’enteriner la
proposition de loi deposee par la deputee (UMP) Valerie Boyer
(rapporteur du texte), visant a reprimer la negation de tous les
genocides reconnus par la France dont le genocide armenien de 1915.

L’Assemblee nationale avait d’ors et deja adopte la proposition le 22
decembre dernier. Après une onde de critiques de la part de personnages
publics francais et de menaces diplomatiques provenant de la Turquie,
le Senat ratifie la proposition par 127 voix pour et 86 voix contre.

Mais de quoi s’agit-il ? Cette proposition de loi qui a tant fait
debat ces derniers temps ne constitue pas une nouveaute. Deja en
2001, les parlementaires francais ont integre dans la legislation,
la reconnaissance du genocide armenien perpetre en 1915 par
l’Empire Ottoman. Cette première etape fut secondee par le depôt
d’une proposition de loi a l’Assemblee nationale en 2006, visant la
penalisation de la negation de ce genocide. La ratification n’avait
jamais vu le jour jusqu’a ce lundi 23 janvier 2012. Il convient de
savoir quel est le contenu de cette proposition de loi qui a provoque
tant de remous a la fois sur les bancs des assemblees et au niveau
des relations entre Etats (France-Turquie). Le point de discorde
de cette proposition se situe dans l’insertion d’un nouvel article
dans la loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberte de la presse. Ce nouvel
article permet de penaliser la contestation de l’existence du genocide
armenien, autrement dit une repression de la negation de ce genocide,
quiconque s’y risquerait, sera soumis a une amende de 45 000 ~@
et une peine d’emprisonnement d’un an.

La ratification de cette proposition ne s’est faite ni dans la
douceur, ni a l’unanimite. La gauche senatoriale s’est dechiree sur
le positionnement a suivre lors du vote, le Ministre des affaires
etrangères et europeennes ne soutient pas la proposition. Autre
reproche, la nouvelle legislation intervient a seulement trois mois
des elections presidentielles et legislatives, ainsi les objectifs
electoralistes – et peut-etre le sabotage de la candidature de la
Turquie a l’entree dans l’Union Europeenne – apparaissent comme
des leitmotiv de l’urgence de la ratification. L’electorat armenien
representerait environ 500 000 personnes en France et la candidature
de la Turquie patine. En periode de campagne, l’interrogation ne
parait pas si denuee de sens.

Cependant le debat se situe egalement en dehors du champ politique,
il a notamment des implications dans le champ intellectuel. Les
“luttes” scientifiques autour des problematiques concernant les
(re-)constructions du passe et les incidences des lois dites
“memorielles” (terme qui ne fait pas consensus) agitent toujours
la communaute des specialistes (historiens, politistes). Dans
un article publie le 27 decembre 2011 dans le journal Le Monde :
“Lois memorielles : pour en finir avec ce sport legislatif purement
francais”, Pierre Nora, historien et president de l’association
Liberte pour l’histoire, rappelait l’importance de s’eriger contre
l’ingerence des pouvoirs legislatif et judiciaire dans le domaine de
la recherche scientifique, car ce qui est en jeu c’est l’independance
meme de la recherche. Toutefois, l’ensemble de la communaute des
historiens ne s’inscrit pas dans cette trajectoire, Gerard Noiriel
et le Comite de vigilance face aux usages publics de l’histoire se
distinguent des positions de Liberte pour l’histoire. Divergence sur
le fond, G. Noiriel et le CVUH refutent l’idee de “lois memorielles
“, divergence sur la forme, ils privilegient le combat civique
a l’imposition d’une opinion sous-couvert de la competence de
l'”historien”. Le CVUH et ses membres sont davantage animes par la
denonciation du “politiquement correct” de certains de leurs collègues.

Avec les differentes contestations que peuvent, ici où la, soulever
la penalisation de la negation du genocide armenien, une interrogation
reste en suspens : quelle menace pèse sur l’autonomie de la recherche,
ces lois memorielles entraîneront-elle son musellement. Avec la
ratification de cette proposition de loi, nous assistons a un echec
cuisant des mobilisations pour l’independance de cette recherche,
qui ne demande qu’a etre epargnee de la prescription historique

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LA MYSTERIEUSE MALADIE D’ERDOGAN

nouvelobs.com

26 janvier 2012
France

“Avez-vous un cancer, monsieur le Premier ministre ?” “Non”, a repondu
Recep Tayyip Erdogan sur la chaîne de television Kanal D. Le chef du
gouvernement turc a assure que seuls des polypes – tumeurs benignes
– avaient ete retires de son intestin au cours d’une intervention
chirurgicale, le 26 novembre.

Cette interview, destinee a faire taire les rumeurs persistantes selon
lesquelles il souffrirait d’un cancer du côlon a un stade avance,
rassurera-t-elle sur son etat de sante ? Depuis son operation par
laparoscopie a l’hôpital de l’universite de Marmara, a Istanbul,
l’absence de bulletin de sante entretient le doute.

Des medias ont denonce le silence des autorites, qu’ils comparent a
un “syndrome Brejnev”. Les apparitions publiques du Premier ministre
turc ces deux derniers mois sont rares et ses traits, fatigues. Cette
longue convalescence, qui prendra fin en mars, a-t-il dit, bouleverse
le mode de fonctionnement du gouvernement.

Traditionnellement, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, hyperactif et omnipresent
dans les medias, monopolise la scène politique. Son repos force le
contraint a lâcher la bride a ses ministres.

Jeanne Pasquier- Le Nouvel Observateur

LA PREMIERE DAME DE TURQUIE BOUDE LA FRANCE

L’Orient-Le Jour

27 janvier 2012
Liban

La Première dame de Turquie, Hayrunnisa Gul, a refuse d’inviter
l’epouse de l’ambassadeur de France a une reception qu’elle organisait
hier, pour protester contre l’adoption en France de la loi penalisant
la negation du genocide armenien, a-t-on appris auprès de son
entourage. La presidence turque a intentionnellement omis Sabine Bili
de la liste des participantes a un dejeuner au palais presidentiel,
auquel ont ete conviees l’ensemble des ambassadrices en poste a Ankara
ainsi que les epouses des ambassadeurs. Laurent Bili, l’ambassadeur
de France, a confirme cette information mais a minimise l’incident
en affirmant, en turc : ” Oui, nous n’avons pas recu d’invitation,
mais ma femme ne vit pas en Turquie. ”

From: Baghdasarian