Trend, Azerbaijan
Feb 11 2012
Matthew Bryza: politicians shouldn’t characterize events as genocide
or not as genocide
11 February 2012, 11:55 (GMT+04:00)
Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 11 / Trend A.Badalova /
“It’s not the business of any politician in any country to
characterize events as genocide or not as genocide,” former U.S.
ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza said in an interview with
Turkish Hurriyet Daily newspaper.
On Jan 23, after an eight-hour debate, the French senate adopted the
law criminalizing the denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide”. The
bill demands a year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euro for
denying the so-called genocide.
French senators who did not agree with the adoption of the law
appealed to the Constitutional Council on Jan. 31 with a request to
cancel it. The council should examine issue on the law adopted in the
both chambers of the French parliament and which many consider
violating the Constitution and freedom of expression.
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.
Mr Bryza said it has to be up to societies, not to others, to have a
decision taken based on a political calendar.
He noted truth is on everyone side, especially on Turkey’s side. The
debate about this issue is really one-sided right now.
“If you believe there was a genocide committed, you can equally argue
looking from a narrow definition of the word that genocide was
committed to many others, against Turks or Muslims, in eastern
Anatolia,” Mr Bryza said
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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