Two Turkish business associations will hold a series of meetings with their counterparts in France as part of a visit scheduled to start on Monday to warn the French business world a bill in the French Parliament that seeks to criminalize denying an alleged genocide of Armenians by the Ottomans is likely to have adverse consequences on commercial ties between the two countries.
The Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) and the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD) on Thursday released a joint statement saying Turkey was debating painful incidents of the past on a democratic and free platform but that France appeared to be restricting free speech, as it is currently considering a bill that seeks to issue a fine of 45,000 euros for anyone who denies a genocide recognized by the French government.
In 1915, many Armenians in east and southeast Turkey were forced to migrate to other countries. Armenians today say what happened amounted to genocide. Turkey denies this, citing war conditions and Armenian revolts. France recognizes the 1915 deportations as genocide.
According to the TOBB-TÜSİAD statement, politicians acting as historians or academics is a dangerous development.
“What's at stake here is not only the political and economic aspect of bilateral relations, but also the fact that all scientific, social and cultural activities will be affected by this.”
The statement called on French politicians to “immediately reverse this mistake.”
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