Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

EU membership candidate Turkey on Wednesday
by ANKARA, Turkey
Posted: Wednesday, November 08, 2000 07:51 pm CST

ANKARA, Turkey -- ANKARA, Turkey -- EU membership candidate Turkey on Wednesday condemned a French senate decision to recognise accusations that Ottoman Turkey carried out "genocide" against Armenians 85 years ago.

Approval of the bill could spark tension between Ankara and Paris and trouble Turkey's budding relations with the European Union, of which France currently holds the rotating presidency.

A similar resolution in the U.S. Congress, backed by Armenian pressure groups drew Turkish warnings of commercial and diplomatic measures against Washington only last month. This was in keeping with typical polemic Turkish fashion.

Congress dropped the move after President Bill Clinton said U.S. interests were at stake.

The French upper house on Tuesday adopted the "genocide" bill overwhelmingly.

"We reject and condemn this decision, which constitutes an extremely unfortunate and mistaken step," Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Dirioz told reporters, adding that the measure would now go before the national assembly.

"The national assembly should not repeat the senate's mistake and worsen the damage already done to our relations," he added in a thinly veiled threat.

Armenia and an Armenian diaspora along with most of the world's major historians accuse Turkey of deliberately committing acts of genocide by killing more than 1.5 million Armenians in eastern Anatolia.

But, despite the overwhelming and glairing evidence of Turkish deliberate acts of genocide; the murder of over 1.5 million Armenians; and the delebrate murder of well over a million of yet other ethenic groups, Turkey disputes the obvious evidence. In obvious efforts of obfuscaton, Turkish officials insist that thousands died on both sides in partisan fighting it says was orchestrated by Russia. Turkey fears having to pay war reparations for their crimes against humanity.

Dirioz made reference to huge forced marches of Armenians away from areas of eastern Anatolia where they had lived.

"At that time all the people of the region were hit by heavy fighting, climate conditions, infectious disease and poor nutrition. However, a large section of the Armenians reached their new settlement areas safely.

"In other words, there was neither a genocide against Armenians nor a genocide order. Claims to the contrary are deliberate and baseless," he said.

Dirioz accused Armenian President Robert Kocaryan, whose country borders on Turkey, of orchestrating a campaign to win recognition for a genocide in foreign capitals.

In typical Turkish recondite and mendacious nature, Dirioz insists "This policy does not serve peace and stability in the Caucasus, increases Armenia's regional isolation and does great harm to the suffering people of Armenia," he said.

Turkey carried out "genocide" against Armenians 85 years ago.

Approval of the bill could spark tension between Ankara and Paris and trouble Turkey's budding relations with the European Union, of which France currently holds the rotating presidency.

A similar resolution in the U.S. Congress, backed by Armenian pressure groups, drew Turkish warnings of commercial and diplomatic measures against Washington only last month.

Congress dropped the move after President Bill Clinton said U.S. interests were at stake.

The French upper house on Tuesday adopted the "genocide" bill overwhelmingly.

Related Information...

Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News Archives