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Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 14 2007
Abant Platform brings together intellectuals from France and Turkey
The second `Turkey-France Conversations,' the first of which was held
in Paris in 2006, organized by the Abant Platform, began yesterday at
the Ýstanbul Hilton.
A large number of academics, journalists and representatives of
nongovernmental organizations from both countries were in attendance
on the first day of the meeting, titled `Perceptions and Realities.'
During the two days of meetings, participants are discussing
important issues, from concepts to the media, from economics to
identity problems, from education to secularism and from politics to
history. Participants will deliver their papers in sessions titled
`Education and Culture,' `Religion and Secularization,' `Republic,
Secularism and Democracy' and `Society and Identity Problem:
Openings, Closings and Media"
The opening speeches of the meeting were delivered by Professor
Niyazi Öktem, a member of the administrative board of the Abant
Platform, Professor Mete Tunçay and Jean-Louis Schlegel, editor in
chief of the French magazine Esprit. During the first panel
discussion titled, `History, Yesterday and Today: Rights and Wrongs,'
Galatasaray University's Kenan Gürsoy, Professor Jean Pierre Azema
from the School of Political Sciences in Paris, Le Monde Editor in
Chief Sophie Gherardi, journalist-author Orhan Koloðlu and Professor
Zafer Toprak from Boðaziçi University addressed the audience.
Professor Azema said that both parties had to reveal everything in
the archives to be able to overcome the crisis over the alleged
Armenian genocide by the Ottoman state, a claim that caused tension
between Turkey and France. `People should get together to carry out
detailed studies on the subject. Lists should be made based on
documents and archives. And countries should contribute to the mutual
studies,' Azema noted.
Le Monde's Gherardi talked about the viewpoint on Turkey held by the
newspapers in France by giving examples from her own newspaper.
`Turkey is an interesting country. It has been of interest to France
for a long time. Le Monde has closely followed the political
instabilities, problems, elections, military coups and the course of
the Kurdish problem in Turkey in detail. Modern Turkey is in fact not
being subjected to unfair treatment,' Gherardi noted.
Gherardi stressed that the Turkish economy was regularly covered by
Le Monde. `There is a certain amount of enthusiasm for Turkey. People
sympathize with this rapidly developing economy. We even envy Turkey.
France has been living under a weak economic regime for 15 years,'
she said.
She further noted that there were now positive articles published by
French newspapers, particularly by Le Monde, on Turkey's EU
membership process, and added: `The sympathy for Turkey is very
visible in the columns. The comments made on Turkey's EU process
almost always recall the promises made and not kept by the EU. Such
columns confess that the EU did not remain loyal to its commitments,
[acting] in a hypocritical way. Le Monde too, supports Turkey's full
membership. A Turkey close to France is being looked at with deep
sympathy.' In addition she recalled that there were also some news
reports and columns in which French journalists gave Turkey advice.
`They tell Turkey what to do: `If you want to join the EU and elevate
[yourselves] to the level of the democratic nations, of whom we are
the representative, do this and that',' the editor in chief of Le
Monde said.
Profesor Öktem, a member of the board of the Abant Platform, said the
meeting was meant to foster relations between France and Turkey. He
said important people from both nations had attended the meeting, put
on with support from the French Embassy. `Turkish-French relations
date back 500 years ago. Our goal is to take the relations out of the
current context spoiled by sentimental approaches and reveal what the
real importance of the ties between the two countries is.'
14.04.2007
Today's Zaman Ýstanbul
April 14 2007
Abant Platform brings together intellectuals from France and Turkey
The second `Turkey-France Conversations,' the first of which was held
in Paris in 2006, organized by the Abant Platform, began yesterday at
the Ýstanbul Hilton.
A large number of academics, journalists and representatives of
nongovernmental organizations from both countries were in attendance
on the first day of the meeting, titled `Perceptions and Realities.'
During the two days of meetings, participants are discussing
important issues, from concepts to the media, from economics to
identity problems, from education to secularism and from politics to
history. Participants will deliver their papers in sessions titled
`Education and Culture,' `Religion and Secularization,' `Republic,
Secularism and Democracy' and `Society and Identity Problem:
Openings, Closings and Media"
The opening speeches of the meeting were delivered by Professor
Niyazi Öktem, a member of the administrative board of the Abant
Platform, Professor Mete Tunçay and Jean-Louis Schlegel, editor in
chief of the French magazine Esprit. During the first panel
discussion titled, `History, Yesterday and Today: Rights and Wrongs,'
Galatasaray University's Kenan Gürsoy, Professor Jean Pierre Azema
from the School of Political Sciences in Paris, Le Monde Editor in
Chief Sophie Gherardi, journalist-author Orhan Koloðlu and Professor
Zafer Toprak from Boðaziçi University addressed the audience.
Professor Azema said that both parties had to reveal everything in
the archives to be able to overcome the crisis over the alleged
Armenian genocide by the Ottoman state, a claim that caused tension
between Turkey and France. `People should get together to carry out
detailed studies on the subject. Lists should be made based on
documents and archives. And countries should contribute to the mutual
studies,' Azema noted.
Le Monde's Gherardi talked about the viewpoint on Turkey held by the
newspapers in France by giving examples from her own newspaper.
`Turkey is an interesting country. It has been of interest to France
for a long time. Le Monde has closely followed the political
instabilities, problems, elections, military coups and the course of
the Kurdish problem in Turkey in detail. Modern Turkey is in fact not
being subjected to unfair treatment,' Gherardi noted.
Gherardi stressed that the Turkish economy was regularly covered by
Le Monde. `There is a certain amount of enthusiasm for Turkey. People
sympathize with this rapidly developing economy. We even envy Turkey.
France has been living under a weak economic regime for 15 years,'
she said.
She further noted that there were now positive articles published by
French newspapers, particularly by Le Monde, on Turkey's EU
membership process, and added: `The sympathy for Turkey is very
visible in the columns. The comments made on Turkey's EU process
almost always recall the promises made and not kept by the EU. Such
columns confess that the EU did not remain loyal to its commitments,
[acting] in a hypocritical way. Le Monde too, supports Turkey's full
membership. A Turkey close to France is being looked at with deep
sympathy.' In addition she recalled that there were also some news
reports and columns in which French journalists gave Turkey advice.
`They tell Turkey what to do: `If you want to join the EU and elevate
[yourselves] to the level of the democratic nations, of whom we are
the representative, do this and that',' the editor in chief of Le
Monde said.
Profesor Öktem, a member of the board of the Abant Platform, said the
meeting was meant to foster relations between France and Turkey. He
said important people from both nations had attended the meeting, put
on with support from the French Embassy. `Turkish-French relations
date back 500 years ago. Our goal is to take the relations out of the
current context spoiled by sentimental approaches and reveal what the
real importance of the ties between the two countries is.'
14.04.2007
Today's Zaman Ýstanbul