TURKEY INDIGNANT OVER SARKOZY’S STATEMENT ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
PanARMENIAN.Net
October 7, 2011 – 17:39 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkey said France should “confront its colonial
past before giving lessons to others on how to face history,” in
an angry response Friday, October 7, to a call by President Nicolas
Sarkozy for Ankara to recognize the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
Sarkozy, in Armenia Thursday, challenged Turkey – which is
seeking membership of the European Union – to face up to its past
and threatened to pass a law in France that would make denying the
Genocide a crime.
“Collective negation is a more serious problem than an individual one.
Unless Turkey follows the suit of other great nations in recognizing
the Armenian Genocide before yearend, France will take serious steps,
including criminalization of Genocide denial,” Mr. Sarkozy said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference:
“Those who will not be able to face their own history for having
carried out colonialism for centuries, for treating foreigners as
second-class people, do not have the right to teach Turkey a history
lesson or call for Turkey to face its history.”
Davutoglu said Turkey and Armenia “were working together on ways to
normalize ties and Sarkozy’s comments would have a negative impact
on reconciliation efforts,” Reuters reports.
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