Ankara is very sensitive about everything directly or indirectly related to Armenian Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - It is not only strategic, but also material support – supply of weapons, military bases, refugees, whom Turkey can shelter. Let us recall what a hard time Americans had in Iraq, when Turkey in 2003 gave no permission to transport weapons and ammunition for the U.S. Army.

The latter is very important for Europe, as otherwise the south of France and Italy would be flooded with Libyans, although there are already too many of them in this area. There is one more circumstance to be taken into account: the pre-election campaign in Turkey. Europe favours the Justice and Development Party (AKP) rather than the nationalists. For all his impulsiveness, Erdogan is a fairly predictable politician, when it comes to the European Union and to secular power. And given the fact that relations between Paris and Ankara are too far from being good, it becomes clear that the bill had no chances at all. France does not see Turkey in the EU and, definitely, will not change her attitude in the near future. The French Armenian community is unlikely not to have understood this, but it wouldn’t be superfluous to once again draw the public attention to the Armenian Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire. But the most interesting thing is what almost nobody paid any attention to: the bill was simply rejected. It was not even put to the vote, which means that after presidential elections in France the Senate may once again take the bill from the table. If the Socialists should win the elections, the bill on criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide may be adopted. In any case, it will be the clincher in the efforts to attract Armenian vote, like in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister of France Michel Mercier declared after the Senate session that at the end of the week a directive envisaging punishment for insulting the Armenian community members would be sent to all the General Prosecutors of the country. Mercier also noted that a law penalizing racist statements has been enacted in France since 2008. “Provisions of this law were discussed at a meeting between the Armenian community representatives and President Sarkozy. The government will not stay aside – the Armenian Genocide is a recognized fact for us,” Mercier said.

Let us recall that a law on banning the burqa and niqab has recently been enacted in France. And if we add to it also the bill on the Armenian Genocide, this could be a strong irritant for the Muslim community in this country. But the most interesting thing is that the bill rejected by the Senate, most likely aims at publishing the papers and speeches,questioning the Armenian Genocide. A similar law on Holocaust denial exists in many countries. But one also has to prove that it is directed against Turkey. Unfortunately, Turkey is too sensitive about everything directly or indirectly related to the Armenian Genocide. But no one, including Ankara, knows how long the denial policy can linger…