Orientalist: France uses Armenian Genocide bill as a tool for exerting pressure on Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian-Turkish dialog is in a deadlock, specialist in Turkic philology Anoush Hovhannisyan stated to a press conference. "If up to this moment we watched some dialog and popular diplomacy, now the process has reached a deadlock. Those things that happen today in Turkey show the dialog now has become difficult if not impossible at all," she said.



A. Hovhannisyan noticed Armenian-Turkish "Agos" bilingual editor-in-chief Hrant Dink's death had negative impact on Armenian-Turkish relations. "Dink was against outside pressures on Turkey and thought the Turkish government will fear not from outside pressures but from awakening of his own people. He worked in this direction and wanted to found a center of Armenian-Turkish relations, thinking that we should look for more similarities between the two nations for dialog than to create hostility," specialist in Turkic philology said. In this respect she underlined Dink's death has immediate connection with the growth of nationalistic views in Turkey.



In his part Armenian orientalist Artak Shakaryan stated Turkey's movement towards Europe proceeds from Armenia's interests. "Quicker Turkey moves to Europe better for Armenia," he said, adding that Hrant Dink's murder and the recent events in Turkey threw back the country from Europe, and EU High Representative on security and foreign affair issues Javier Solana's statements are evidences for what was said.



Artak Shakaryan underlined these processes had negative impact on the future of Armenian-Turkish relations.



Besides, the future Turkish parliament, which will be nationalistic and comparatively closer to Azerbaijan, again will put in a deadlock any development in Armenian-Turkish relations.



Speaking on the possibility of adopting the bill on penalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide by the French parliament, Shakaryan noticed that France's stance is clear, they use that bill as a tool for exerting pressure on Turkey.



Let us return to the history of the previous bill: in May France showed it can adopt the bill frightening Turkey, and then they postponed discussions over the document and adopted it in autumn, when a more suitable moment came and it was necessary to press on Turkey. Now again France demonstrates his ability," he said, "Novosti-Armenia" reports.