French Senate set to pass Armenian genocide bill: expert says
19.01.2012,
05:31
An Armenian expert in Turkish affairs said today the French Senate will endorse a bill, passed by the lower house of the parliament late last year, criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide, ‘because in some respects it meets France’s strategic objectives.
YEREVAN, January 19. /ARKA/. An Armenian expert in Turkish affairs said today the French Senate will endorse a bill, passed by the lower house of the parliament late last year, criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide, ‘because in some respects it meets France’s strategic objectives.’
Arrtak Shakaryan argued that by pushing through the bill France will seek to cut Ankara’s regional leadership. According to him, there is a ‘real cold’ war between Paris and Ankara for influence in the Middle East and North Africa.
‘North Africa has long been under the influence of France, while Turkey with its neo-Ottoman ideology has moved away from Europe towards the Middle East and North Africa,’ he said.
He said France is getting increasingly concerned by the expansion of Turkish capital, its cultural and political expansion in North Africa, and France’s task is to stop it. According to him, in 1999 Europe accounted for 56% of Turkish foreign trade and North Africa for 12%, now the figures are 41% and 20% respectively.
"We see that the Turkish business is moving away from Europe to the Middle East and North Africa, which means the weakening of France. The French Senate will adopt the bill not because of trying to win the votes of French Armenians – it has a deep strategic goal - to stop the regional leadership of Turkey,"said the expert.
The French government plans to introduce the bill to the Senate on January 23. It was approved by the National Assembly on December 22. The bill after being signed into law would see anyone in France who publicly denies the genocide facing a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros.-0-
