December 6, 2002 - 18:43 AMT
ARMENIANS OF FRANCE UNDERTAKEN LARGE-SCALE ACTIONS AGAINST TURKEY'S ACCESSION TO EU
Armenian organizations of France have launched collection of signatures under the address coming against Turkey's accession to the European Union. According to "ITAR-TASS" agency report, the action is organized by the Committee of Armenian cause protection with the assistance of the Coordination Council of the Armenian organizations of France. They intend to appeal to French president Jacques Chirac and ask him to come against determination of the date for negotiations with Turkey on its accession to the EU at the Copenhagen summit December 12-13. They motivate their demand with the fact that Ankara has not fulfilled a number of preliminary conditions yet. In particular, it has not acknowledged the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire in 1915-1923, has not ceased the blockade against Armenia being held since 1991, does not guarantee religious minority rights. Within the framework of the action its organizers have planned a number of measures in Paris, Lyons and Marseilles, where the majority of the Armenian diaspora of France lives. According to the results of a sociological survey conducted by "SOFRES" institute and published December 5, 58% of the French are against Turkey's accession to the EU.