TURKISH BUSINESS OFFICIAL SLAMS FRENCH BILL ON "GENOCIDE"
Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Nov 16 2006
Paris, 16 November: "The bill approved by the French National
Assembly over the so-called Armenian genocide, is contrary to freedom
of expression," said Pekin Baran, deputy chairman of the Turkish
Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD), on Thursday
[16 November].
The conference hosted by Paris-based Montaigne Institute on "Europe:
Which values, which borders?" became stage of an ardent argument
between Baran and Patrik Deveciyan, French MP of Armenian origin.
During the conference, Deveciyan claimed that Turkey could not be a
member of the EU since the EU did not approve nationalist feelings.
He said that the bill was submitted to the French national assembly
to prevent demonstrations like the one against Armenian monument in
Lyon in the past.
In response, Baran stressed that the freedom of expression was one of
the most important values of the Union, but France seriously violated
that value by approving such a bill.
Pointing out to political and economic contributions of Turkey to the
EU in future, Baran stressed: "Turkey’s EU membership is essential
for a powerful Europe in the globalizing world."