Turkey’s “objectivity” in OSCE Minsk Group aspirationsDecember 18, 2012 - 18:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey, yet again, attempts to stress the need for a “change in the OSCE Minsk Group composition.” “There is a need to make changes in the OSCE Minsk Group,” a spokesman for Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Selcuk Unal told APA. He said that the OSCE Minsk Group has already lost its neutrality: “It is out of question that the country, which has adopted slandering draft laws against Turkey at the parliament, is neutral to Armenia, so France’s membership in OSCE Minsk Group should be reconsidered. Russia’s support for Armenia is not a secret. The countries such as Ireland located far from the region, don’t need to be represented in the OSCE Minsk Group. Turkey is ready to show it’s objectivity in this issue.” By “draft laws slandering Turkey” Unal, surely, means the bill on criminalization of the Armenian Genocide denial, which has long been an issue of Ankara’s special concern. In November 2012, current French leader Francois Hollande announced plans to redraft the bill, despite Turkey’s threats to sever ties with Paris. Only Azerbaijan can believe in Turkey’s “objectivity,” it being common knowledge that Ankara and Baku’s understanding of objectivity is contrary to the universal one. Turkey’s using every ruse to get into OSCE Minsk Group is no longer a secret; however, that intention has never been supported by Armenia or the Group’s co-chairs, who won’t be deceived by remarks about Ankara’s “neutrality.” On January 23, 2012, the French Senate passed the bill making it a crime to deny the Armenian Genocide. The bill envisaged imposing a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire. Later, the French Constitutional Council ruled the bill as anti-constitutional. In a statement the Council said the document represented an “unconstitutional breach of the practice of freedom of expression and communication. Francois Hollande reiterated the pledge to redraft the law criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial in France, stressing the need to ensure the legal framework to avoid censorship by the Constitutional Council. Marina Ananikyan / PanARMENIAN News Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | U.S. warns Georgia not to side with Moscow against the west Georgia has been warned by the U.S. not to become an adversary of the west by falling back in line with Moscow. Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |