EU Minister Bagis: we won't remain silent towards France's using Turkey as a domestic political tool

ANKARA (A.A) – December 20, 2011 -  Turkish EU Minister & Chief Negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis said that Turkey would not remain silent towards France's using it as a domestic political tool. Commenting on French resolution criminalizing the rejection of Armenian allegations pertaining to the incidents of 1915 which will be voted on December 22 at French Parliament, Bagis said that this issue was a problem of France too as much as it was of Turkey, adding that it was also a problem of French companies making business with Turkey as well as regional countries via Turkey. It is a problem for French politicians who are resisting to understand Turkey's place in international conjuncture too, said Bagis, adding that this resolution was obviously an effort of domestic political exploitation. The resolution itself is against ideals of French revolution, said Bagis, adding that it was also violating the content of EU acquis. He noted that the resolution weakened France's claims of being a country of democracy and human rights. The resolution will be voted at the general assembly of French Parliament as the government did not object to take it into agenda. A committee in French Parliament had accepted the resolution on December 7. If adopted on Thursday, the resolution will make it a crime to deny the Armenian allegations on the incidents of 1915 and punish individuals with a prison sentence of 1 year and a monetary fine of 45,000 euro.