Sarkozy tells Turkey to recognise Armenia ‘genocide’

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, and Armenian President Serge Sarkisian lay flowers at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia. -AP Photo


YEREVAN: French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday urged Turkey to take responsibility for the 1915 massacre of Armenians, calling its refusal to recognise the deaths as genocide as “unacceptable”.

Sarkozy’s comments, issued at the start of his first state visit to Armenia, whose diaspora represents a large voting minority in France, come months before a presidential election which he heads into with approval ratings at a low.

“Turkey, which is a great country, would be honorable to revisit its history like the other great countries in the world have done: Germany, France,” Sarkozy said at the top of a two-day, three nation swing through the Caucasus.

France has recognised mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman empire as genocide a decade ago, a bold step that pressure from Turkey has prevented in countries with a large Armenian diaspora such as the United States.

Turkey says those killed were the victims of war, and has downgraded relations with nations that dared to disagree.

Sarkozy however left no room for ambiguity after visiting the National Genocide Museum in Armenian capital to pay respect to the massacre victims and plant a tree in the memorial garden.

“The genocide of Armenians is a historic reality that was recognised by France. Collective denial is even worse than individual denial,” he said at a joint appearance with Armenian counterpart Serge Sarkisyan.

“We are always stronger when we look our history in the face, and denial is not acceptable.”

Asked whether France should adopt a law prosecuting anyone who denies that the massacres were “genocide”, Sarkozy replied that “if Turkey revisited its history, looked it in the face, with its shadows and highlights, this recognition of the genocide would be sufficient.”

”But if Turkey will not do this, then without a doubt it would be necessary to go further,” he said.

Sarkozy angered Turkey ahead of his election in 2007 by backing a law aimed at prosecuting those who refused to recognise the event as a genocide.

The French lower house of parliament later rejected the measure, infuriating an Armenian diaspora of some 500,000 people.

Sarkozy has also indicated his ambition to bring Armenia and neighbouring Azerbaijan forward in the stalled peace process over the tiny Nagorny Karabakh region.

But just as the French leader urged the two rivals to “take the risk of peace” in an interview on Wednesday, pro-Armenian authorities that control Karabakh said a soldier was killed by Azerbaijani forces.

Baku responded Thursday with the accusation that two soldiers were shot dead from the Armenian side.

Seventeen soldiers have now been reported killed this year along the ceasefire line in Karabakh.

Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized the territory from Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s that left some 30,000 dead.

Despite years of talks since the 1994 ceasefire, the two sides have still to sign a final peace deal.

Sarkozy was to dine with Sarkisyan later Thursday and continue his tour of Caucasus states Azerbaijan and Georgia on Friday.


http://www.dawn.com

 

Really? Bad news. We will not accept any fabricated genocide. This freak should look at mirror before such statements. While anyone who denies so-called Armenian Genocide gets arrested and jailed in France, there is no law about French crimes against Algerians. Because it's never ever mentioned. Yet you can get arrested for your opinions about something not even releated to France. I wonder what he will say in his next tour, Azerbaijan? I'm waiting for it. Will he make such statements about Khojaly Genocide there? Will there be any laws making it illegal to deny Khojaly Genocide in France? Of course not. That crime is not worth wasting time for. Because it was a good crime. Because Armenians are important and are innoncent angels that dropped to Earth from Heaven, while Azeris or Turks are not.

 

Source: Cumhuriyet

 

yeah , it has happen man stop denying it .

 

Sarkozy should mind his own business and apologise to the Algerians.

 

haha good point. He cna also recognize freedom of expression while his at it (ie get rid of the burqa ban)

 

freedom of oppression you mean.

 

No, freedom of expression, as I said.

 

Egemen Bagis mast keep his mouth .... if he wants to keep his Serbian and Croatian colonies . and as we all know that @bosnikas@albans are turkish proxy so nothing strange&new in what he said ...

 

PS somebody here can say why do the pan-islamists act like the ultra kemalists on this issue?

 

there (Alger) are 40 millions Algerians in Alger and many more outside of it(mostly in France)

how many Armenians live in Armenian Highland (Eastern Anatolia Region of TR) today? this is what people call - genocide

 

Funny how your double standards regarding genocide work.

Israel killing 50.000 Palesitnians including tens of thousands of Jihad fighters is something the world should see and condemn according to you.


Turkey murdering 1.500.000 Armenians and they should shut up along with the rest of the world which has the decency to talk about it.

Shows us once more the Islamic Supmreacist attitude which enables you to whine at one conflict and wave a huge genocide away since the culrptis are muslim and the victims lowly infidels.

 

Where did he say Turkey should not be criticized? Sarkozy should shut up for the simple fact he has own nation's demons to attend. No one is saying Turkey should not be criticized, rather that Sarkozy cannot sustain such a double standard.

btw how does the Armenian genocide have anything to so with Islamic Supremacy? LOL

 

i condemn any genocide no matter what nation does towards other nations regardless of their religion beliefs .

 

So why does Turkey whine against Israel? They have their own demons to attend.

 

Does genocide of the aborigines ring a bell? Perhaps some Australians should shut up as well. (Yeah, I know you treat the 50 aborigines who survived real well now)

PS I have nothing against Australia but huge problems with hypocrites, including Australian hypocrites whose ancestors wiped out the indigenous population and who believe France and Israel should shut up but Turkey and Arabs should not.

 

Seems you've never been informed of Wounded Knee.

So goes this train, ad infinitum.

 

Yes, it was "Islamic supremacy against infildels". It is funny right? Noone of those bigots like DCC even know CUP was in power 1915, which was political front of Western-oriented secularists called Young Turks. They came to power by overthrowing Ottoman sultan by Young Turk Revolution ;p

So tell me, why the (*)(*)(*)(*) would I or any Turk would give a (*)(*)(*)(*) about what him or his kind say about our history?

 

Your nation never cared about its own genocides, as long as Jews dont commit crimes you dont care ^^

 

you can change the past but you can recognize dark side of your past and ask for forgiveness , Australia´s government did it couple of times already. Turkey puts in a prison those who is dare to do so

 

Translation: A basic fact debunked my bull(*)(*)(*)(*), so I'm dropping another one.

 

1)Cos AKP government can get nothing by accepting AG.They will lose the first election(ani indeed all and forever will be a loser).Acceptance of AG is impossible for a political party of Turkey,especially it is even more difficult for AKP Government which Kemalism has an eye it.

2)Cos AKP can only act according to Ultra-Kemalism.They cant do what Kemalism hardly forbid.Cos Kemalism is still very powerful.Kemalism still govern the whole regime.AKP can only perform some make-ups which Kemalism allows.

3)On the other hand AKP administrators are not different from than Kemalists when it comes to foreign relations especially on AG and Kurdish Issue(?)

Unfortunately Turkey needs something like Glastnost and perestroika what AKP, neither can dare to do nor willing to do it and capable to achieve it....

My Poor Turkish democracy....

 

where have you been bro long time !!

 

When no arguements left, blame everything on Kemalism...

 

Hi bra


I have been very busy with my new job.I have almost no time for forum.
I hope everything goes well with you.