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ISTANBUL: Gül blames French politicians for escalating Turkophobia

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  • ISTANBUL: Gül blames French politicians for escalating Turkophobia

    Today's Zaman, Turkey
    April 27 2012


    President Gül blames French politicians for escalating Turkophobia in France


    27 April 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, Ä°STANBUL

    President Abdullah Gül has blamed French politicians for using the
    so-called Armenian genocide as a tool for triggering Turkophobia in
    France.

    Speaking on the 97th anniversary of the Battle of �anakkale, Gül said
    that every year Turkey holds a ceremony for commemorating the French
    soldiers who died at Ã?anakkale, but France does not exhibit the same
    good intentioned approach towards Turkey. `After the Republic was
    established, we avoided reopening old wounds so future generations
    would not inherit these pains. Unfortunately, the Armenian Diaspora
    has started to use this tragic event as a tool for preserving their
    identity and enhancing the feeling of solidarity between themselves
    since the 1960s.

    Some countries have unfairly ratified laws that criminalize the
    so-called Armenian genocide. Politicians who have voted in favor of
    these laws don't have any knowledge of the political conditions of the
    time; they are chasing political benefits,' said Gül.

    Reiterating Turkey's call for the establishment of a non-partisan
    commission comprised of respected Turkish and foreign historians for
    investigating the 1915 events, Gül noted that neither Armenia nor
    France have given a positive response to this call. `We frequently
    observe with sorrow today that French politicians are exploiting the
    World War I-era deaths of Armenians to gain the support of the
    Armenian community living in France and therefore encouraging
    Turkophobia in France,' he added. The Turkish Foreign Ministry
    released a written statement on Tuesday night accusing French
    presidential rivals Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande of
    exploiting the World War I-era deaths of Armenians during the Ottoman
    Empire to garner votes from its sizeable Armenian community ahead of
    the second presidential run-off.

    The statement said declarations by the French presidential rivals
    regarding the 1915 events are `another example of the exploitation of
    controversial historical issues for political gain.' The statement
    added that it is unfortunate that history is politicized based on
    various goals, and that prejudiced behavior won't help further justice
    or create a better understanding of history.

    http://www.todayszaman.com/news-278827-president-gul-blames-french-politicians-for-escalating-turkophobia-in-france.html



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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