TOTAL’S SELL DECREASES 30 PERCENT AFTER THE ARMENIAN BILL
Ummuhan Sumbul, JTW
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Oct 17 2006
Ummuhan SUMBUL (JTW), ANKARA – The passing of the controversial
Armenian claims denial bill in the French parliament has prompted
strong reactions in Turkish business circles. The French company
Total Oil has been the target of the boycott. The Company informed
the journalists that the sell has decreased about 30 percent in a week.
Several businessmen and companies announced they would suspend business
partnerships with French companies. The number of Turkish markets
which do not sell French products has radically increased yesterday.
Associations Continue to Call for Greater Boycott
Some French companies operating in Turkey include Total, Elf,
Carrefour, Danone, Tefal, Michelin, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen, Lacoste,
L’Oreal, Lancome, Christian Dior, Onduline, Lafarge, Chryso, Air
France, BIC, Cartier, Sheaffer, Le coq sportif, Alcatel, AXA, Gunes
Insurance, Basak Insurance, Basak Emeklilik Societe General Bank,
Turkish Economy Bank, Sanofi and Servier.
Consumer Union yesterday called all Turkish consumers inside and
abroad not to buy French products. However the Union also warned the
Turkish consumers not to boycott the French-Turkish companies which
have great investment in Turkey. The CarrefourSa Market Company
therefore was removed from the boycott list. "CarrefourSa invest
great in Turkey and create emploment here. If we boycott CarrefourSa,
it means we would boycott Turkish businesmen and workers" one of the
Union representative said.
Armenians claim that the communal clashes in 1915 was genocide, while
Turkish Government has never accepted these claims. Turkey says the
Armenians died due to the communal clashes, bad weather conditions,
war curcumstances, famine and epidemic diseases. Turkish historains
also say that more than 520,000 Muslim Ottoman citizens were massacred
by the armed Armenian groups. Armenia now does not recognise Turkey’s
and Azerbaijan’s national borders and occupies almost 20 percent of
Azeri territories.
17 October 2006
TUSIAD: Let us Reply with Reforms
TUSIAD called the French bill "a big mistake."
"A proper reply to be given to France would be to accelerate
political reforms to include freedom of expression particularly and
proceed toward our goal of full [EU] membership as a country holding
memberships talks with the European Union," the association stated.
TOBB: They won’t be Invited for Bids
Rifat Hisarciklioglu, chairman for the Turkish Union of Chambers and
Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), said public administrations in Turkey would
not invite French companies to bids after the passing of the bill.
"The French National Parliament made a mistake. Responsibility for
this process falls on it," Hisarciklioglu said. The TOBB chairman
thinks France failed in the test of law and conscience and described
the developments as a black page in its history.