Turkish president slams ‘unbelievable’ French hostility

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

President Abdullah Gül has strongly denounced anti-Turkey rhetoric in France’s presidential elections with regard to the World War I killings of Armenians and voiced regret over the conduct of French politicians.

“I deeply regret the fact that the issue has recently become an electioneering instrument in France and the unbelievable dimension that hostility to Turkey is reaching,” Gül told reporters during a visit to Çanakkale. 

The President reiterated a Turkish proposal for the creation of a joint Turkish-Armenian committee of scholars to examine whether the 1915-17 events amounted to “genocide” as the Armenians claim. “We are making a clear appeal to the whole world. Let’s establish a joint history commission if you are sincere.

This commission should come together, hold discussions and look into the archives. Let’s see what happened in a realistic way. But we have received no response to our proposal,” he said.