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President Gül blames French politicians for escalating Turkophobia

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  • President Gül blames French politicians for escalating Turkophobia

    www.WorldBulletin.net, Turkey
    April 28 2012

    President Gül blames French politicians for escalating Turkophobia

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

    World Bulletin/News Desk

    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 Çanakkale, Gül said
    that every year Turkey holds a ceremony for commemorating the French
    soldiers who died at Çanakkale, 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.

    The Turkish government has also urged French politicians to exercise
    restraint as statesmen and said it's impossible to obtain results
    through an outside, artificial imposition on a subject where the
    involved states should reach a solution. The statement added that
    similar statements are detrimental to peace efforts in the region.

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