YEAR OF TURKEY IN FRANCE STARTS IN COLD ATMOSPHERE THANKS TO INFLUENCE OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

Noyan Tapan
Aug 12, 2009

MARSEILLE, AUGUST 12, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The events of the
Year of Turkey in France began with the arrival of a Turkish wooden
ship in Marseille. Although it was planned to meet the ship with
great festivity, by instructions of the Mayor of Marseille Jean-Claude
Gaudin, the meeting ceremony was held in quite a cold atmosphere.

In an interview with the correspondent of Nouvelles d’Armenie
magazine, the businessman, Deputy Mayor of Marseille for Economic and
Entrepreneurial Issues, the mayor’s representative in the Armenian
community Didier Parakian said that the Year of Turkey is officially
celebrated in France, and Marseille as the second largest city of
France was to receive the Turkish ship. At the same time it was taken
into consideration that Marseille is the home of Europe’s largest
Armenian community (100 thousand members), who are mainly descendants
of the Armenian Genocide survivors who came to Marseille also by
ship. For that reason the Armenian community of the city had to display
a special attitude in relation to the arrival of the Turkish ship.

In the words of D. Parakian, he expressed his concern to Mayor
Jean-Claude Gaudin who is one of the advocates of adoption of the
law envisaging punishment for denial of the Armenian Genocide in
France. The mayor and the Marseille Municipality’s group in charge
of events of the Year of Turkey in France have decided to hold these
events with minimum coverage and in a modest way for the reason
that Turkey has not recognized the Armenian Genocide. Meanwhile,
the Armenian community has made a decision to use the occasion for
raising the recognition problem before the Turks.

The correspondent of Nouvelles d’Armenie noted that the Marseille
Municipality did not want to organize an official reception in
connection with the Turkish ship’s arrival marking the start of the
Year of Turkey in France. D. Parakian explained that the Armenian
community of Marseille understood quite correctly the position of the
municipality, and the ceremony of the Turkish ship arrival passed in
a disreputably modest way instead of creating a positive image for
Turkey. The deputy mayor of Marseille considered this circumstance
natural, adding that the Armenians were satisfied with the least
attention shown to the Turks in this connection.

Marseille Deputy Mayor for Cultural Issues Daniel Hermann was
instructed to make an official speech during the ceremony of the
ship arrival. In response to the reporter’s question: "What meaning
did that event have for you?", D. Hermann replied that in 1996 the
then President of France Jacques Chirac assumed the obligation to
celebrate the Year of Turkey in the country. The deputy mayor also
said: "It was difficult for us to disagree with that decision and
not to hold the events of the Year of Turkey in Marseille".

When the reporter asked D. Hermann if the fact of Marseille’s large
Armenian community composed of descendants of the Genocide survivors
as well as victims of Turkey’ policy of the Genocide denial was taken
into account, the deputy mayor said that he is on friendly terms
with the Armenian community of the city and is familiar with the
history and pain of the Armenian people. He stated that he considers
as his duty to remind the Turks about the Genocide and not to miss
the opportunity to raise the problem of its recognition. However,
according to D. Hermann, France is officially and diplomatically
obliged to mark the Year of Turkey. At the same time the Marseille
Mayor’s instruction to pay as little attention as possible to the
Year of Turkey events was carried out.

The reporter noted that the Turks misrepresent the history by calling
the Turkish ship, which has arrived in Marseille within the framework
of the Year of Turkey, after the Greek ship that moored at the site of
the present Marseille 2,600 years ago and founded the city. D. Hermann
said he accepts the concern expressed by the Armenians in this
respect and assured the reporter that "we have always been beside
the Armenians, and today we must be beside them as they experience
pain because of the unfair interpretation of the history".

He added that France recognized the tragedy of the Genocide and in this
way it performed its duty. D. Hermann urged the Armenians to engage in
a dialog with the Turks, attaching importance to the recognition of the
fact of the Genocide by Turkey itself. He is convinced that as a result
of such dialog, Turkey will eventually recognize the Armenian Genocide.

During an interview with Nouvelles d’Armenie, Turkish Consul in
Marseille Ozer Aydan expressed an opinion that only thanks to the
examination of the Turkish archives by Turkish and Armenian historians,
it may become clear whether there was genocide or not.

In response to the correspondent’s remark that "we are aware of
the destruction of the archives of the Ottoman government and some
trials", the consul said that all materials of the archives of both
the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey have remained intact. He
declared that if the guilt of the Ottoman government is revealed,
Turkey will assume the obligations and responsibility for compensating
the damage done.

In answer to the reporter’s claim that Turkey will not ignore its own
interests, the consul noted that it is necessary to wait, adding that
for example, "the role of superpowers during those events" will be a
surprise to Armenia. "You are probably unaware of their role. Be sure
Turkey will take responsibility if it turns out that it is to blame
for the death of even one Armenian. It is a matter of principle to us".

Nouvelles d’Armenie reminds at the end of the interview that in
2005-2007 Ozer Aydan was Turkish consul in Lyons and was famous
for his actions against construction of a monument to the Armenian
Genocide victims in that city, as well as for his position on
the clashes that took place between Turkish extremists and young
Armenians in Lyons. O. Aydan is an expert in international law,
he was educated in Strasbourg and served as chairman of the Turkish
parliament’s committee on foreign relations. Accordng to O. Aydan,
he was a friend of Hrant Dink, and while living in Istanbul, he had
many "Turkish friends with Armenian roots".