Turkey conducts initiatives regarding a bill on 1915 incidents, EU minister says

RIZE (A.A) - December 14, 2011 - Turkish EU minister said on Wednesday that Turkey was conducting initiatives regarding a vote which would take place at French parliament on a bill that would make denial of the Ottoman-era incidents of 1915 punishable in France with a prison term of one year and a fine of 45 thousand euros. Replying to questions, EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said that a comprehensive meeting took place in the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, stating that a road map was prepared. "We are conducting our initiatives at French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Such bills are short-lived," he said. Bagis said there would be presidential election in France (in 2012), and it seemed like a pre-election campaign move by President Nicolas Sarkozy. Bagis said that French businessmen, who were working with Turkish businessmen, would do something regarding the bill, cause they were aware of Turks' sensitivity on the matter. Turkey always attached a great importance to its relations with France, he added.