Author: Kajoyan Gevork

LES RELATIONS ECONOMIQUES FRANCO-TURQUES DANS LA TOURMENTE POLITIQUE
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 21 decembre 2011

Les florissantes relations economiques franco-turques pourraient etre
les premières victimes de la discussion jeudi a l’Assemblee d’une
proposition de loi visant a sanctionner la negation du genocide
armenien, perspective jugee “inacceptable” par Ankara.

Le maintien mardi de ce texte a l’ordre du jour de l’Assemblee alors
que deux delegations turques, dont l’une d’industriels, etaient
presentes a Paris pour tenter de dissuader les autorites francaises
de franchir ce nouveau pas, a dechaîne la colère du president turc
Abdullah Gul.

“Il n’est pas question pour nous d’accepter cette proposition de loi
(…) qui denie le droit de rejeter des accusations infondees et
injustes contre notre pays et notre nation”, a-t-il averti.

Si les relations entre les deux pays sont regulièrement empoisonnees
par la question du genocide armenien, reconnu par Paris et farouchement
nie par les autorites turques, les relations economiques sont en
revanche au beau fixe.

Comme le constate le ministère francais des Affaires etrangères,
elles ont connu ces dernières annees “un developpement considerable,
a tel point que chacun des deux pays apparaît desormais pour lautre
comme un partenaire majeur”.

La Turquie est devenue le troisième pays client de la France, hors
de l’Union europeenne, après les Etats-Unis et la Chine. Et le quai
d’Orsay jugeait encore “tenable”, a la veille de ce nouvel accès de
fièvre, “lobjectif ambitieux” de porter les echanges bilateraux de
10 a 15 milliards d’euros entre 2009 et 2012.

Au premier semestre 2011, les exportations francaises vers la Turquie
ont atteint 3,8 milliards d’euros, excedentaires sur les importations
(3 milliards).

La France est aussi un “investisseur significatif” en Turquie. Renault
y est la première entreprise exportatrice et va y produire sa première
berline electrique. AXA y est le numero un de l’assurance.

Carrefour, qui se refusait a tout commentaire mardi, compte de son
côte 27 hypermarches et 215 supermarches en Turquie, où il opère
conjointement avec un partenaire local, Sabanci.

En attendant que l’orage passe, le patronat francais fait profil bas.

La presidente du Medef, Laurence Parisot a recu lundi soir son
homologue turque Umit Boyner et le president de l’Union des Chambres
de commerce et des Bourses de Turquie (TOBB), Rifat Hisarciklioglu.

Dans l’entourage de la patronne des patrons francais, on se
contentait mardi de noter que “les entreprises francaises ont des
liens economiques très forts avec la Turquie ou nombre d’entre elles
opèrent”. Une manière diplomatique de rappeler les risques economiques
d’une degradation des relations avec Ankara.

Le millier d’entreprises francaises agissant en Turquie pourrait
se voir priver de marches publics dans les domaines des transports,
de l’armement ou du nucleaire.

Rifat Hisarciklioglu a brandi la menace de “degâts majeurs dans les
relations economiques et commerciales” entre les deux pays si la loi
etait adoptee.

President de la chambre de commerce franco-turque en France, Selcuk
Onder a evoque la possibilite d’une “campagne de boycott officiel”
des entreprises privees francaises, parlant d’un “sentiment de trahison
en Turquie”.

Pour lui, la proposition de loi qui prevoit un an de prison et 45.000
euros d’amende en cas de negation d’un genocide est une initiative
“purement electorale” qui vise a “recuperer” quelque “450.000 voix
armeniennes” lors de l’election presidentielle de 2012.

Devant la perspective de represailles economiques, le quai d’Orsay
a appele Ankara a respecter les “règles internationales” et ses
engagements internationaux.

LE PRESIDENT FRANCAIS REFUSE DE PARLER A SON HOMOLOGUE TURC
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
mercredi 21 decembre 2011

Selon le quotidien Hurriyet Daily News, “dans un geste sans precedent
qui a ete percu comme un acte de manque de respect envers la Turquie,
le president francais Nicolas Sarkozy aurait refuse hier [20 decembre]
de parler au president turc Abdullah Gul au telephone.” Ce dernier a
tente d’appeler personnellement Nicolas Sarkozy pour lui transmettre
son message sur le projet de loi qui doit etre soit vote demain au
Parlement francais sur la question de la negation du genocide des
armeniens.

Le President Gul tente depuis lundi dernier de joindre le chef de
l’Etat francais, sans succès.

“Nous n’avons pas recu de reponse de Sarkozy ces deux derniers jours”,
a declare une source citee par Hurriyet. “Sarkozy n’a pas eu le
courage de parler a Gul sur la question.”

La Turquie exige de la France qu’elle abandonne immediatement le projet
de loi visant a criminaliser la negation du genocide des armeniens.

“J’espère que cette initiative, qui bafoue la liberte d’expression
et bloque meme le chemin de la recherche scientifique objective, sera
abandonnee dans le plus bref delai possible “, a declare Abdullah Gul.

A noter l’absence de declaration du premier ministre Recep T. Erdogan,
actuellement en observation en service de cancerologie. Opere le 26
novembre de polypes adenomateux (colon) assez importants, le chef
du gouvernement turc se remet progressivement de l’intervention
chirurgicale.

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN : LES DEPUTES DANS L’EMBARRAS
par Sophie Huet

Le Figaro

20 dec 2011
France

Les deputes examineront, jeudi, la proposition de loi de la depute UMP,
Valerie Boyer.

Il n’y aura ni scrutin public ni procedure acceleree. Les deputes
examineront bien, jeudi, la proposition de loi de Valerie Boyer,
deputee UMP des Bouches-du-Rhône, visant a reprimer penalement la
contestation du genocide armenien. Mais l’embarras est palpable a
l’Assemblee nationale. Officiellement, ce texte, soutenu par tous les
groupes politiques, de droite comme de gauche, en depit de quelques
voix discordantes, vise a “reprimer la contestation de l’existence
de genocides reconnus par la loi”. C’est l’argument brandi par
le president de l’Assemblee nationale, Bernard Accoyer, et par le
patron des deputes UMP, Christian Jacob, qui ont chacun recu en fin
de journee une delegation de parlementaires turcs. “Il s’agit d’un
texte qui ne vise pas la question armenienne mais les propos racistes
et negationnistes”, a souligne dans la matinee Bernard Accoyer.

“Represailles economiques” De son côte, Christian Jacob a insiste sur
le fait qu’il s’agissait d’un texte “que le gouvernement a inscrit
a l’ordre du jour”. Au grand dam du ministre des Relations avec le
Parlement, Patrick Ollier, qui precise qu’il s’agit d’une initiative
parlementaire.

Insensible a ces arguties juridiques, le gouvernement d’Ankara a
menace la France de “represailles economiques”. Ce que denonce avec
vigueur Valerie Boyer, qui a depose sa proposition de loi – cosignee
par une quarantaine de deputes de la majorite – en septembre dernier.

“Les Turcs pratiquent la diplomatie de la menace. C’est une ingerence
qui ne peut que renforcer la determination des deputes”, estime la
deputee des Bouches-du-Rhône. Après le vote de la loi du 29 janvier
2001 sur la reconnaissance par la France du genocide armenien de 1915,
aucun texte n’a pu etre mene a son terme dans les deux assemblees. La
gauche, comme les elus du Nouveau Centre, voteront pour la proposition
Boyer.

Au sein du groupe UMP, les avis sont plus partages. Axel Poniatowski,
le president de la commission des affaires etrangères, juge que “le
moment est peu opportun, car la Turquie peut jouer un rôle central
dans la crise syrienne”. Pierre Mehaignerie, president de la commission
des affaires sociales, partage ce point de vue.

En reunion de groupe, Jacques Myard (Yvelines) a denonce “la
sovietisation de l’Histoire”, jugeant que “les lois memorielles sont
un crime contre l’esprit”. Et Jean Auclair (Creuse) s’est exclame:
“On se plante des epees dans le dos. Les Turcs nous achètent des
taurillons et des broutards. Il y a une embellie dans le milieu de
l’elevage. Maintenant, ils sont très fâches.”

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN: AUDITIONS A PARTIR DU 5 JANVIER AU SENAT

Le Parisien

20 dec 2011
France

Les senateurs socialistes Philippe Kaltenbach (Hauts-de-Seine) et Luc
Carvounas (Val-de-Marne) ont annonce mardi une serie dauditions au
Senat sur la penalisation de la negation du genocide armenien afin de
rechercher un consensus au sein de la majorite senatoriale de gauche.

Ces auditions auront lieu a partir du 5 janvier, dans le cadre des
propositions de loi (PPL) sur le sujet examinees par lAssemblee le 22
decembre prochain ou en attente dexamen par le Senat, precisent-ils
dans un communique.

Une proposition de loi de la deputee UMP des Bouches-du-Rhône
Valerie Boyer visant a reprimer la negation du genocide armenien
sera examinee jeudi au Palais Bourbon. Elle a suscite la colère des
autorites turques.

“Nous avons sollicite des constitutionnalistes (Anne Levade, Bertrand
Mathieu), des historiens (Pierre Nora, Yves Ternon), des diplomates ou
encore des representants de la communaute armenienne (vice-presidents
du CCAF) afin quils apportent leur eclairage”, ajoutent-ils.

“Cette demarche vise a degager un consensus au sein de la nouvelle
majorite senatoriale”, precisent-ils.

Philippe Kaltenbach a depose en novembre une nouvelle PPL visant a
reprimer la contestation de lexistence du genocide armenien.

Une proposition de loi similaire du PS avait ete votee le 12 octobre
2006 par l’Assemblee nationale mais rejetee par le Senat le 4 mai 2011
par le vote d’une motion d’irrecevabilite presentee par le president
de la Commission des Lois d’alors, Jean-Jacques Hyest (UMP).

Ce texte avait divise tous les groupes politiques, les elus des
departements où vit une forte communaute armenienne le defendant,
comme le president du groupe UMP, le senateur-maire de Marseille
Jean-Claude Gaudin ou le senateur-maire PS de Lyon Gerard Collomb.

L’UMP avait soutenu en grande majorite (137) l’irrecevabilite,
ainsi que l’Union centriste (25). Le groupe PS, très embarrasse,
s’etait divise, 39 seulement votant contre l’irrecevabilite.

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN : GUL INTERPELLE PARIS

Le Figaro

20 dec 2011
France

Le chef de l’Etat turc Abdullah Gul a appele aujourd’hui la France
a abandonner une proposition de loi “inacceptable” sanctionnant
la negation du genocide armenien, que les deputes francais doivent
voter jeudi.

“Il n’est pas question pour nous d’accepter cette proposition de loi
(…) qui denie le droit de rejeter des accusations infondees et
injustes contre notre pays et notre nation”, souligne le president
dans un communique, selon son service de presse. “Nous attendons que
la raison et le bon sens l’emportent en France et que l’on renonce
dans les plus brefs delais a ce projet”, souligne le texte.

Abdullah Gul espère croire que “l’amitie pluricentenaire franco-turque,
les interets communs et leur alliance (dans l’Otan) ne seront pas
sacrifies pour de petits calculs electoralistes”. Selon lui, si le
texte est adopte, cela empechera toute recherche historique objective
sur les evenements de 1915-1917 survenus en Anatolie ottomane, que la
France ainsi qu’une vingtaine de pays ont reconnus comme un genocide.

Ahmet Sever, le conseiller du presse du president turc, a declare
que ce dernier avait essaye de joindre son homologue francais Nicolas
Sarkozy au telephone ces deux derniers jours, mais sans succès.

Nicolas Sarkozy “n’a pas fait montre de courage et a evite de parler a
Abdullah Gul au telephone”, a declare Ahmet Sever, cite par l’agence
Anatolie. C’est pour cette raison que M. Gul a fait une declaration
ecrite, a poursuivi le responsable.

MOVING TOWARDS PEACE SHOULD BE THE EASIER OPTION

news.az
Dec 20 2011
Azerbaijan

News.Az interviews Dr Hans Gutbrod, the Tbilisi-based regional director
of the Caucasus Research and Resource Centre.

What can you say about the discussions held on 14 December on the EU
role in the South Caucasus? And what was the main line in your speech?

As typically happens in these conferences, there was a diversity of
viewpoints. I argued that one of the main things was to listen to the
citizens, and to what they have to say. This points the way towards
better governance, and thus towards some of the positive values
that many people attach to the European Union. There has been some
progress, but fundamental problems remain. Far too many people in
Azerbaijan, and in Armenia, still report paying bribes. And too many
people in all three countries state that they can’t say openly what
they think. Progress should primarily be made in making the lives of
ordinary people better.

Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Roland Kobia said that the EU
is going to enhance its involvement in the Karabakh settlement in
2012. What do you think about it?

I did not actually see that statement, so I cannot comment on that
specifically. More broadly, anything that helps to move closer to
settlement is a good thing for the region.

Some experts propose to substitute France in OSCE Minsk group with
another EU member to achieve more fruitful activity of co-chair
states. Would it really help?

Ultimately, progress must come from within the region. What we
can say from our perspective is that all sides need to do more to
prepare themselves, and their population, for substantive peace. At
the conference, there were some encouraging signs. More contacts
between the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan would be a good thing,
because it’s easier to make peace with people you know, rather than
people you are afraid of. One of the slides I showed illustrated that
many Armenians thought that opening the border with Turkey would be
bad for national security. And that illustrates the problem: moving
towards peace should be the easier option, not something that you
think is risky.

Can Azerbaijan’s membership to UN Security Council in 2012-2013 promote
negotiation process or at least make the Karabakh problem more known
in the world?

Azerbaijan’s membership in the Security Council will certainly help to
make the Karabakh problem more known in the world. At the same time,
the conflict is not resolved by a battle of international legitimacy.

Beyond any hard-nosed negotiation, it’s about reassuring the other
side that a compromise is possible. I think if more Armenians visited
Baku, and found it a friendly environment, that would inspire some new
thinking. I’m not saying that it’s as easy as having more friendly
contacts, but I think it’s worth exploring new approaches on that
front, because the alternatives are pretty grim.

‘KARABAKH COMMUNITIES’ MEETING CAN BE SUCCESS OF AZERBAIJAN’

news.az
Dec 20 2011
Azerbaijan

The fact that the Armenian side refuses this proposal is natural.

The statement came from former Ankara diplomat, political analyst
Vurgun Hasanli while commenting on the Armenian side’s refusal to
hold joint meeting the participation of Armenian and Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh communities, Gun.Az reports.

“Because they realize that if they hold this meeting, they will be the
first ones to recognize the Azerbaijani community in the international
arena. To put a ‘legal dress’ on the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh
and make the genocide that they committed there ‘lawful’, they want
to claim that only Armenians live there. Therefore, to realize this
meeting can be simply a success of Azerbaijan”, the analyst noted.

Hasanli said that besides official organizations, Azerbaijani diaspora
also does much to provide the Azerbaijani community’s participation
in this meeting.

“First and foremost, the existence of this communication should be
known to Europe and international community. In this connection,
diaspora should propagate and introduce this community. After the
community becomes internationally recognized, it will be difficult for
Armenian to refuse from meeting. Moreover, we have enough evidence to
claim and prove that the Armenian community has turned Nagorno-Karabakh
into an international terrorism center”, Hasanli noted.

DINK’S BROTHER SAYS FRANCE’S GENOCIDE BILL VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS

Today’s Zaman
Dec 20 2011
Turkey

Orhan Dink, brother of slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
has opposed French plans to pass a bill criminalizing denial of
Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire,
saying the planned measure constitutes a violation of human rights.

In remarks broadcast on Monday evening on private CNN Turk television,
Dink also called on the Armenian diaspora in France to oppose the
bill, which will be taken up by the French National Assembly on
Thursday. “This bill is an insult to you. This pain should not be left
in the hands of politicians,” he said. “I am calling on my brothers,
friends, people in the diaspora who suffered from the same pain as
me; they should oppose this bill, too. Oppose this violation of human
rights and prevent our pain from being used as a political tool.”

Turkey, which rejects genocide claims, has called the French bill an
attempt to limit freedom of expression, with Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu saying such a ban reflects “a mentality from the dark ages.”

The bill to be debated by the National Assembly, the lower house of
the French Parliament, proposes punishing anyone who denies that the
killings constitute genocide with one-year in prison and a fine of
45,000 euros.

Armenians say 1.5 million Anatolian Armenians were killed in a
systematic genocide campaign during World War I. Turkey says the
figures are inflated and insists that the killings occurred as the
Ottoman Empire was trying to quell an uprising of Armenians, who
revolted against Ottoman rule for independence, in collaboration with
the Russian army, which was invading eastern Anatolia.

Hrant Dink, who had been convicted for “insulting Turkishness” over
his remarks on the alleged genocide, was killed in 2007 by a teenage
hitman in front of his office in Ä°stanbul.

Orhan Dink said his brother had opposed the bill when there were
previous attempts to pass the measure in 2001 and 2006. “My brother
was killed because of his conviction [for insulting

Turkishness]. Thus, it is our most natural right to oppose the French
bill,” Dink said.

In an apparent reference to Turkish accusations against France
for ignoring its bloody past, Dink also said: “I want to send this
message to politicians of both countries: Everybody should look at
themselves in the mirror. A debate over who is worse than who will
bring no result.”

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at Paris saying
the country should investigate alleged French abuses in Algeria and
Rwanda instead. Davutoglu has also threatened to denounce France’s
colonial past at international meetings in retaliation.

BEING RIGHT AND WRONG AT THE SAME TIME
by JOOST LAGENDIJK

Today’s Zaman
Dec 20 2011
Turkey

This week Turkey is again forced to use all its power of persuasion
and its political, economic and diplomatic clout to try and stop
another country from meddling with Turkey’s national history.

We have been here before and it is no surprise to see what the fuss
is all about: the Armenian massacres in 1915 and whether or not they
should be labeled as genocide. This time it is the French senate that
is about to vote on a proposal to criminalize the denial of what the
French state officially considers genocide. If this new legislation
is adopted, everyone who explicitly disagrees with the French reading
of history will be punished by a maximum one-year prison sentence or
a 45,000 euro fine.

The Turkish government is fully right in trying to prevent such a
ludicrous decision for two reasons. The first is that determining what
happened in the past is definitively not a task for politicians but
for historians. Parliamentarians should simply stay out of historical
debates.

The second reason why Turkey has a good point is the fact that this
new law violates the very freedom of speech the French always claim to
uphold. Are these French lawmakers the heirs to Voltaire, the French
philosopher who famously said: “I may not agree with what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to say it”? Or are they
spineless opportunists who are willing to sacrifice their professed
principles in return for some expected electoral benefits? Can you
imagine the cries of indignation these same people would produce if
Turkey adopts a similar piece of legislation, punishing those who
disagree with the official Turkish state version of history?

At the same time, Turkey is also wrong. Wrong in thinking it can
keep on bullying and blackmailing its way out of these uncomfortable
situations. It is an illusion to think that in the run-up to the 1915
centenary, the pressure on Turkey will decrease. Whether or not Turkey
likes it, there is a widely shared feeling among many all over the
world — including many friends of Turkey — that the time has come
for Turkey to come to terms with these dark pages in its history,
both for its own good and for the sake of good relations with its
neighbor Armenia.

No country wants to be forced to accept a stranger’s version of its
own history. That is why all these genocide recognition initiatives
coming from the Armenian diaspora were never going to produce a change
of mind among Turks. To the contrary, they created resentment and
anger. What Turkey needs is a debate among Turks about what happened
in 1915. Based on a new, unprejudiced reading of history, using all
the pieces of information that have already been gathered by Turkish,
Armenian and other specialists.

That is why Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 2005 proposal to
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan to establish a joint commission
of historians was such a good idea. That is why it is such a pity
that the 2009 Turkish-Armenian protocols that would have led to the
establishment of such a body have still not been ratified. But why
should Turkey wait any longer to start something that needs to be
done anyway?

Three weeks ago, during a visit to Turkey, Alain Juppé, the French
foreign minister who does not see eye to eye on this issue with
President Nicolas Sarkozy, came up with an offer that went almost
unnoticed at the time. He said his country would be willing to host
a Turkish-Armenian joint history commission meeting to at least start
a dialogue on the events of 1915 that are so painful to both peoples.

It is easy to be cynical about his offer or to conclude immediately
that it will never work. Yes, it won’t be easy and no, there is no
guarantee that such a mixed group of historians will come up with a
shared vision that will convince both Turks and Armenians. But it is
worth trying. Instead of constantly trying to block others, would it
not be wise, clever and surprising for Turkey to respond positively
and take the lead in trying to find a solution to a problem that,
if kept unsolved, will keep on haunting Turkey? Why is there no
Turkish delegation in Paris this week to discuss the details of his
plan with Juppé?

ARMENIAN NEWS-NEWS.AM PRESENTS TOP TEN OF BEST ARMENIA’S SPORTSMEN

news.am
Dec 20 2011
Armenia

Armenian News-NEWS.am presents its own list of Armenia’s ten best
sportsmen of the year.

1 Levon Aronian, leader of the Armenian chess team, ranked the third
in FIDE list

2 Arsen Julfalakyan, bronze medalists of World Wrestling Championships
in Istanbul

3 Roman Amoyan, European Greco-Roman wrestling champion

4 Yura Movsisyan, forward of national football team

5 Henrikh Mkhitaryan, midfielder of national football team

6 Vachik Vardanyan, European sambo champion

7 Hakob Arakelyan, bronze medalist of sambo world championship

8 Hripsime Khurshudyan, European weightlifting vice-champion

9 Arayik Mirzoyan, European weightlifting vice-champion

10 Harutyun Merdinyan, bronze medalist of European gymnastics
championship.

Top ten according to Armenian Federation of Sport Journalists

1 Roman Amoyan

2 Arsen Julfalakyan

3 Levon Aronian

4 Henrikh Mkhitaryan

5 Aghasi Aghasyan, weightlifter, 2011 Summer Universiade champion

6 Arthur Aleksanyan, European Greco-Roman wrestling vice-champion

7 Yura Movsisyan

8 Harutyun Merdinyan

9 Vladimir Sarukhanyan, bronze medalist of European boxing championship

10 Musa Murtazaliyev, European wrestling vice-champion.