TURKEY: Turkey prepares to boycott French goods following parliament vote on Armenians

Record ID: 783364

  • Title: TURKEY: Turkey prepares to boycott French goods following parliament vote on Armenians
  • Date: 13th October 2006
  • Summary: PEOPLE IN STREETS
  • Embargoed: 28th October 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: International Relations,Economic News
  • Reuters ID: LVADJX9R6X4H0G8MS0D3AY6DNBTE
  • Story Text: There was tension and anger on the streets of Istanbul on Friday (October 13) after the French parliament approved a bill making it a crime to deny Armenians suffered genocide by Ottoman Turks.
    France's lower house of parliament approved the bill on Thursday (October 12), raising fresh doubts about Turkey's EU ambitions.
    Turkish citizens said they would boycott French products, avoiding purchases from cosmetics to food, while others said the nation should reconsider its desires to join the European Union.
    "As the nation of Turkey, from now on we will see our future better. We should think a hundred times more about our EU membership," said Mustafa Budak.
    "We should boycott French products. I will. I won't buy any of the French products - cosmetics, automobiles, food. I simply won't buy them," said one woman.
    "I will look for information on which French products we are using, eating or drinking and I will boycott French products," added another. "This is a citizenship duty."
    Headlines in the Turkish newspapers also expressed anger over news of the announcement.
    Vatan newspaper, referring to French MPs who voted on behalf of the bill stated, "106 stupid men".
    Hurriyet, one of the most widely read newspapers, printed a headline that read " Genocide of thoughts" alongside a picture of Turkish delegates just after the vote that was titled "the moment of devastation."
    In Ankara on Thursday (October 12), the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that French-Turkish relations had been dealt a severe blow by "irresponsible false claims of French politicians who do not see the political consequences of their actions".
    The ministry did not say whether Turkey would take any retaliatory measures against France but Babacan, in Brussels for the latest round of accession talks, said he could not exclude an impact for French business in Turkey.
    "Time will show. But I cannot say it will not have any consequences," Babacan told reporters.
    Asked about the threat of a boycott to French goods after the lower house of parliament overwhelmingly backed the bill, he said the government of Turkey would not encourage a boycott, but would allow individuals to make the purchasing decisions on their own.
    Babacan said it was ironic that such a move should come from a founder member of the EU and champion of liberty, which has constantly stressed in its dealings with Ankara the need for Turkey to ensure freedom of expression.
    Turkey opened accession talks last October. They are expected to last for at least a decade but have already hit problems over Ankara's refusal to open its ports to traffic from EU member Cyprus.
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