TURKEY FROZE MILITARY RELATIONS WITH FRANCE OVER GENOCIDE BILL
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.11.2006 13:21 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey has frozen military relations with France,
reports CNN-Turk with a reference to the Commander of the Turkish
land forces. At a reception dedicated to the 23rd anniversary of
proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Army
General Ilker Bashbug said that military visits at the high level
between Turkey and France have also been cancelled. The decision of
the Turkish Defense Ministry is a response to the bill criminalizing
the Armenian Genocide denial adopted by the French National Assembly
in October. The bill which rates negation of the Genocide perpetrated
in the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1917 as a crime aroused extremely
sharp reaction of Ankara. Turkish officials threatened Paris with
sanctions. Turkish businessmen threatened with boycott of French
goods. The commodity circulation between the two states makes about
$10 billion.
To come into force the law should be approved by the Senate and
then signed by the President. The European Commission has already
subjected the bill to criticism and said the document ‘undermines
friendly relations.’ "If the law is passed it can complicate the
dialogue essential for coordination of positions of the European Union
and Turkey," a European Commission member said, reports RIA Novosti.