Turkey protests ‘genocide’ move in France, calls it ‘otiose’

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

AFP photo

Turkey has sent a letter to the French education minister calling its introduction of the alleged Armenian genocide to French history textbooks “an otiose move” after delivering a diplomatic note of protest on the issue.

“Our ambassador in Paris [Tahsin Burcuoğlu] has delivered a note of protest to the officials at the French Foreign Ministry, while also sending a letter to the French education minister [Vincent Peillon],” a Turkish diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday, noting that the letter must have reached to the French minister on Wednesday.

“The letter will remind him how otiose it is to include Armenian [genocide] claims in textbooks. It will also note that similar initiatives have been taken in the past and all of those initiatives have been destined to remain futile,” the diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

When asked what the Turkish capital’s next move to protest France would be, the diplomat said they would first of all wait for the French side’s response to Turkey’s protests so far.