The French lower house has passed a bill making it a crime there to deny the Armenian Genocide of 1915, committed by the Ottoman Turks. The bill now goes to the upper house. France can do that, because France doesn’t recognize freedom of speech the way we do. Or the way we once did. Anyway, Turkey’s Islamic government is having none of it:
Turkish attempts to stop this bill going to parliament were charged as “interference in France’s internal affairs” by Valerie Boyer, the bills author. While Foreign Minister Alain Juppé called on Turkey not to overreact, Turkey has responded in the strongest possible terms. Ankara has threatened military and political sanctions against France, and has cancelled all economic, political and military meetings within the NATO framework, while also cancelling permission for French military planes and ships to use Turkey’s ports or airfields. If the bill is adopted, France will lose access to sectors of the Turkish economy such as transport and arms, which could cost French business around $40-50 billion.
When do we get to stop pretending Turkey is a reliable partner?
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