By Appo Jabarian Executive Publisher / Managing Editor USA Armenian Life Magazine
Friday, April 24, 2009
In an April 10 article titled “Ice between Turkey, France to melt during ‘Season of Turkey,'” Ali Pektas of Today’s Zaman reported: “Turkey’s relations with France, which opposes its accession to the European Union, have sustained significant damage in recent days — but an important opportunity lies ahead for both countries, a chance to repair and develop bilateral relations. This opportunity is the nine-month “Season of Turkey in France,” set to run from July 1, 2009, until March 31, 2010.”
According to various sources, Turkey will be the subject of over 400 events held in France during the nine-month period at a cost of 30 million euros.
Through the Turkish “invasion” of France, Turkish officials such as Görgün Taner, the event’s Turkish commissioner, have high hopes to eliminate many of the stumbling blocks in the way of Turkey’s EU accession.
Political observers agree that Turkey’s ties with France have deteriorated in recent years over a French Parliament decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire and its subsequent legislative plans to criminalize any denial of the genocide. Ties are also strained over French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s outright objection to Turkey’s accession to the European Union, proposing instead a Turkish involvement in a separate Union of the Mediterranean with nations having close ties to the EU.
“The Season of Turkey,” organized in an effort to ease tension between the two nations, will be marked with an official ceremony in October, at which Sarkozy and Turkish President Abdullah Gül will be present.
Taner said: “What is important is that we represent ourselves correctly, breaking prejudices.”
Deep down Mr. Taner knows full well that these French and European “prejudices” are really troubling concerns about Turkey’s criminal past and its present unrepentant attitude. Europeans and French along with Italians, Greeks, Serbs, Austrians and Armenians remember very vividly that their common concerns vis-à-vis genocidal Turkey have roots in the bloodied fields of Armenia (through the Turkish invasions in 1071A.D., genocidal campaigns through Hamidian ethnic cleansings of 1890’s; Adana massacres of 1909; and the culminating major genocide of 1915-1923), Serbia (1386), Greece (early 1400’s), Austria (1683).
It is understandable why in France in particular, doubts remain as to what Turkey could contribute to the EU.
In order to prevent any negative reaction by the French population, the organizers have embarked on a massive disinformation campaign claiming that “The Armenian diaspora community hasn’t posed any opposition to the project and is, to the contrary, supporting it.”
Today’s Zaman Turkish daily, the official mouthpiece of the Turkish officials in charge of the “Turkish Season” falsely claimed that “In the cities of Marseilles and Lyon, where many people of Armenian descent live, municipal administrations have provided a significant amount of support and aid to planning efforts.”
Turkey also attempted to blow dust in the eyes of French Armenians boasting that “Taner evaluates this aid positively, opining that the Turkish president’s trip to Armenia last year played a part in swaying public opinion to make this support possible.”
Armenians in France and around the world are fully aware of the facts that Turkey continues to use every opportunity to misguide Armenia and Armenians by attempting to lure them into false “dialogues.”
According to another source, a number of French companies that had pledged sponsorship for a major event in France aimed at strengthening ties with Turkey have withdrawn their contributions due to financial problems stemming from the ongoing global economic crisis.
Turkey has committed 13 million euros to the event in addition to France’s contribution of around 5 million euros, 2 million of which will be provided through the sponsorship of private French companies with investments in Turkey.
Yet the “organizers have voiced disappointment, saying they haven’t been able to find as many sponsors as expected, apparently due to the global economic crisis.” French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroën and bailed-out Belgian bank Dexia SA have withdrawn their sponsorship pledges for the event.
Meanwhile, French businesses such as oil giant Total, energy transmission and distribution company AREVA, Accor hotel group and the nation’s largest bank, BNP Paribas SA along with AXA, EADS, Groupama insurance stand as the largest contributors, while Renault SA, France’s second-largest carmaker, which has made major investments in Turkey, will keep the amount of its contribution relatively low.
It’s distasteful on the part of the French companies to aid the genocidal government of Turkey and abate its invasion of France through its packs of lies and misrepresentations.
The French companies and the neo-cons in the French Culture Ministry may do well by remembering that the U.S. predecessor of the “Season of Turkey” in France, the so-called “Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival” in Southern California of early April was met by California wide boycott and worldwide condemnation. The misleading Turkish festival failed to achieve its stated objectives.
The French companies may gain some business from harboring genocidal Turkey in the midst of France’s population, but may definitely expose themselves to worldwide criticism and even boycotts that may well offset any financial gains secured through going to bed with a criminal state.
By the way, have they forgotten that Turkey still owes an apology to the countless drug-addicted victims and their families for its century-old state-sponsored exportation of social ills to Europe and the United States?
Finally, how could they become accessories to Turkish lies about Turkey having a “rich” culture, a “tasty” cuisine, “historically Turkish” lands, and over 70 millions “Turks?” Turkey continues to be a major human rights violator. Ankara continues to suppress the real identity of the forcibly Turkified millions of Arabs, Greeks, Assyrians, Armenians, Kurds, Alevis and others.