PARIS—The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Central Committee of France on Nov. 19 issued a statement calling on French President Nicolas Sarkozy to condemn his foreign minister’s proposal to establish a commission that would study the Armenian Genocide, Nouvelles Armenie reported.
Speaking during a press conference last week in Turkey, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe called the period of the Armenian Genocide hard for both Armenians and Turks, and expressed France’s willingness to establish a commission to study the Armenian Genocide.
While visiting Armenia last month, Sarkozy, in no uncertain terms, called on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide. He added that if Turkey did not come to terms with its past, other countries would have to step in to right the historical wrong.
Below is the English translation of the ARF statement.
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The ARF learned of the intention expressed by Alain Juppe to set up a commission of Armenian and Turkish historians in France to study the period in history regarding the Armenian Genocide.
The ARF is outraged at the foreign minister for his remarks, which cast doubt on the veracity of the Armenian Genocide. Such statements are not acceptable. They contain hints of policy of denial. The statements by Alain Juppe significantly minimize the words of Nicolas Sarkozy, who called on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
The French government cannot simultaneously call on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide and propose a commission of historians to decide on the reality of the Armenian Genocide.
This is an intolerable contradiction by the French authorities, who apparently decided to play a game of double standards of truth and denial. This impression is further reinforced by the fact that when Nicolas Sarkozy was in Armenia, [French Interior Minister] Claude Gueant was hastily dispatched to Turkey.
We cannot bear this duplicity and ask Sarkozy to express open disapproval of Alain Juppe’s position, which are contrary to the president’s statements made in Yerevan. The Armenian community is angered and expects decisive action by the president of the republic. The inclusion of the bill criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide in the Senate’s agenda is urgent.
Nicolas Sarkozy promised to do so in Yerevan. Let him keep his promise.
At face value, I agree that this appears to be a gross contradiction. However, reading the statement, it also appears that he is recommending studying the “Armenian genocide”. Although translations must be taken into account, this suggests that the Genocide will be studied not the denial “events of 1915”. Perhaps, I am too generous in my interpretation, but this should be clarified. Studying a period called the Armenian genocide is recognition verses studying an unrecognized event.
Sorry Stepan, you are too generous.
Generally diplomats of that level don’t say things without purpose.
Maybe Juppe misspoke. Most likely, French are throwing some crumbs to Turks to soften the blow of what Sarkozy said.
In any case, the minute someone says “study”, “commission”, this or that regarding the AG – end of discussion.
Anyone who has any reservations about drawing a hard red line when comes to AG – do this mental exercise: substitute JH for AG. Try, just try to say “Let’s form a historical commission to study the (veracity of) Jewish Holocaust”…. and see how long before you disappear from public life or are sent to jail.
Sarkozy said if Turkey did not come to terms with its past, other countries would have to step in to right the historical wrong.
So…. Is France going to accept the Armenian Genocide on behalf of Turkey? Not sure things work that way.
why so much fear from the commision of historians?
is there anything you dont want to bring to light?
yes there is, Turk-oglu Genis: we don’t want to be in the same room with disgusting Denialists like you who hate Armenians.
We don’t want odious people like you insulting the sacred memory of our 2 million dead by attempting to shift the blame for their savage extermination to themselves.
Oh, in case anyone thinks I am being too harsh with our Turk-oglu guest: here is what he said a while back (redacted).
{necati August 20, 2011
you know that i was full of humanity until i met you Gaymenians in this f______ AW?
sorry to tell you..i am not human , but a monster, a butcher, a pyschopat against you gaymenians…this is another reason for me to hate you gaymenians. you made me an animal.
You must be proud of yourself. especially that one , f______-up gayvery, the ex-commy.}
we can draw a conclusion from the minister’s words that there is no consensus of opinion at the Armenian issue in France.
i think Sarkozy will fire foreign minister soon.
Mr. Avery,
you say:“yes there is, Turk-oglu Genis: we don’t want to be in the same room with disgusting Denialists like you who hate Armenians”
There are 100.000 Armenians ,60.000 is illegal worker in Turkey who likes living with me together in the same room . Why not you ?
Mr. Necati:
like everything else Denialist Turks spew, your figure of ‘60.000 is illegal worker’ is a lie.
Your own TodaysZaman puts the figure at 12,000. Here check it yourself:
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-194672-100-report-12000-armenian-citizens-working-illegally-in-turkey.html
RoA Government officials say it is less than half that number.
Q1: Do you understand the difference between being in the same room with ‘historical commission’ Denialists and being in the country of Turkey ?
Q2: How many of the several MILLION Turks working in Europe are legal ? how many illegal ?
Avery,
Dont fear from neutral investigation if you think you are innocent.
12.000 by which statistic work ? nobody will say : “i am working illegally”. What Turkish PM said was most correct imo.
Anyway , i do not care Armenians work illegally in Turkey. We need cheap unqualified workmenship too. welcome to Anatolia..!
Turks in EU started coming back to Turkey if they do not have a good businness . You did not hear that? Now Turks are not employee but employer in EU.
yep, Necati: of course you believe the lies of your lying Denialist politician Erdogan, instead of the results of scientific survey published in your own pro-government TodaysZaman.
Denialists like you believe there was no AG. You guys believe that it was the Armenians who in your alternative unreal reality committed Genocide against Turks: Right ?
As to guilt or innocence: aren’t you the one who wrote this ? ‘was not 1million killed by Turks, it was 10milyon…so what ?’ @Asbarez ?
Let’s see: you, a Turk, boasts about Turks killing (actually murdering) millions of Armenians on an Armenian web site. And you seriously want to discuss guilt or innocence ? Are you living in the same reality the rest of us live in ? Do you take your medications your doctor prescribed regularly ?
Turks in Europe returning to Turkey?
Of the about 5.2 million Turks in Europe, only 190,000 have returned. It’s not even 4%. (Hurriyet Jul 31, 2011).
Those returning are the ones who are professional and have money to move. It’s much cheaper for them to live in Turkey with the Euros they have accumulated living and working in wealthy Christian Europe.
Most Turks in Europe are poor, unskilled laborers living in Turkish ghettos, shunned by others.
5 million Turks living in Europe is about 7% of Turkey’s population.
Even if I take Erdogan’s mythical 60,000 RoA citizens illegally in Turkey, it is 2%: 3.5 times less than Turks in Europe.
The real number per RoA Gov figures is less than 5,000: less than 0.2% of RoA’s population.
Do you still want to compare Armenians and Turks ?
Another angle of matter:
Talking about poor workers or criticise them in front of PC in a warm room while outside freezing is just easy. I think we must first think about that there are people in the world who have no way other than leaving home to find a piece of bread for children.
So, i have no problem with foreigners including Armenians working in Turkey legally-illegally. as long as they do not put a bomb under my car. But i have big problem with fascist Armenian government.