  Süddeutsche Zeitung: Erdoğan's government unready to join EU  December 26, 2011 - 20:07 AMTPanARMENIAN.Net - The French National Assembly passed a law on Dec 22 that makes denying the Turkish Genocide of Armenians in the early 20th century a criminal offence. Ankara promptly recalled its ambassador to Paris. Turkey is overreacting, some commentators write, while others criticise the law as electoral tactics on the part of the ruling conservatives, according to EuroTopics. On the one hand Turkey is not ripe for EU membership, writes the left-liberal Süddeutsche Zeitung, but on the other hand it is calling on France to repeal the Genocide law: "Many Turks are ready to join the European Union. But Tayyip Erdoğan's government is not. Its excessive threats against France for making the denial of Genocide a punishable offence give an idea of the damage it could do in the EU. It would hold the Union hostage to its nationalism. A country that suppresses its own history is a ticking bomb. But to criticise Turkey is not to praise France for its Genocide law. ... France legally recognised the Genocide of the Armenians back in 2001. That was good and it was enough. It is excessive for it to now threaten anyone who doubts the Genocide with prison. ... France should repeal its law - and Turkey should finally assume responsibility and accept the blame for its wrongs." With the Genocide law France's conservative government is merely trying to win the votes of the country's Armenian population, writes the left-liberal daily Le Monde: "The law doesn't help to protect the memory of the Armenians living in France. But it does lead to a profound and enduring conflict with Ankara. Turkey is wrong not to face up to its past. ... It is reacting excessively to the French bill by threatening Paris with far-reaching political and economic countermeasures. But a power struggle with Ankara is absurd. Never has France had greater need of sound cooperation with Turkey - because of its Middle East policy and especially because of Syria. So why such a law? Because of the election, of course. ... But this is no way to secure due respect for a community's tragic past."   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims  Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide.Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed.Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham).Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |
