Turkey has to take lesson from France, says Armenian president

ISTANBUL

France's President Francois Hollande (L) and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan speak to journalists following a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris November 12, 2012. REUTERS photo

Turkish leaders should take French President François Hollande, who recently condemned the deportation of French Jews during World War II, as an example of how to face the past, according to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.
 
“French presidents have had the strength to face history. I applaud their courage. I will ask President Hollande to tell Turkish authorities how he personally condemned the deportation of Jews in concentration camps. This could serve as a source of lessons for leaders of Turkey,” Sargsyan recently told French daily Le Figaro in an apparent reference to Yerevan’s demands that Turkey recognize Armenian genocide claims.

Hollande recently expressed his solidarity with Jews on Nov. 2, saying, “We're all French Jews” during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to France.  
 
Sargsyan, who met Hollande at the Elysée Palace during a recent visit, also said he did not fear rapprochement between Turkey and France.

"Our policy is not guided by a desire to harm Turkey. It is guided by clear principles. We want the contacts between Turkey, France, and other European countries to increase, so that Turkey can, through these relationships, endorse European values,” he said.