New Journal
New Book

 

News From The World
IRAN REVIVES GULF THREATS AFTER EU SANCTIONS

Senior Iranian lawmakers have stepped up threats that Islamic Republic warships could block the Persian Gulf's oil tanker traffic after the latest blow by Western leaders seeking to rein in Tehran's nuclear program: A punishing oil embargo by the European Union that sharply raises the economic stakes for Iran's defiance.

More...
HOW WILL ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL AFFECT FRANCE-TURKEY RELATIONS?

Turkey's fraught relationship with France is set to erode further after the French Senate passed controversial legislation criminalizing any public denial of what the bill calls the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915 -- a description Turkey has rejected.

More...
FRENCH SENATE PASSES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LAW

The French Senate has approved a controversial bill that makes it a criminal offence to deny that genocide was committed by Ottoman Turks against Armenians during World War I.

More...
EUROPEAN UNION AGREES ON IRAN OIL EMBARGO

By David Blair, Chief Foreign Correspondent
11:01AM GMT 23 Jan 2012
Diplomats in Brussels said the EU foreign ministers would officially adopt the measures later Monday that were hashed out by the 27 ambassadors.
The measures include an immediate embargo on new contracts for crude oil and petroleum products while existing ones are allowed to run until July.

More...
FRANCE RISKS TURKEY ANGER WITH GENOCIDE LAW VOTE

AFP 23.01.2012

PARIS — French senators vote Monday on a bill to outlaw denial of the Armenian genocide, a move that a furious Turkey has vowed it would punish with "permanent" sanctions if it is passed into law.
The French lower house drew a first wave of Turkish ire last month, when it approved the bill which threatens with jail anyone in France who denies that the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide.
Ankara froze political and military ties with France and has promised further measures if the measure is passed by the Senate or is approved by President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose right-wing UMP party put forward the bill.

More...
Interpretation / Notes / Announcements Article Archive
THE ADOPTION OF THE FRENCH RESOLUTION AND ITS AFTERMATH 26 January 2012
Ömer Engin LÜTEM


A draft law which foresaw the criminalization of those denying the Armenian genocide allegations in France was adopted in the French National Assembly on December 22nd 2011 and was sent to the Senate. In order for the bill to become a law, the Senate should approve the text exactly as it is.


More...
THE FRENCH LAW: THE FIRST STAGE-26 December 2011
Ömer Engin LÜTEM


A draft law foreseeing the punishment of the denial of the Armenian genocide allegations has been adopted by the French National Assembly on December 22nd. In order for the bill to become a law, it must also be adopted by the French Senate. Since the Senate is on holiday for Christmas and New Years, the earliest date which the bill could be addressed is the end of the first week of January. However, the general opinion is that the bill, which does not carry urgency, cannot be immediately examined and in fact, could even be taken to the agenda after the Presidential elections and maybe the Parliamentary elections to be held in June. 


More...
CRISIS WITH FRANCE AND ARMENIAN DIASPORA ACTIVITIES IN THE LIGHT OF 2015-23 December 2011
Aslan Yavuz ŞİR


French National Assembly’s vote on Thursday of the law punishing the denial of the genocide is currently determining foreign policy agenda. Although deemed unlikely that the bill -now to be submitted to the Senate- would become a law before the elections, it could easily be assumed that this agenda is the result of political rivalries within the French political conundrum.


More...
FRANCE-TURKEY: PERPETUAL CRISIS (II)-21 December 2011
Ömer Engin LÜTEM


In yesterday’s article, we had indicated that this year in May, President Sarkozy had prevented the adoption of a draft law in the French Senate which foresaw the punishment of the denial of the Armenian genocide allegations, but that around five months later, had changed his stance based on a single event. 


More...
FRANCE-TURKEY: PERPETUAL CRISIS-20 December 2011
Ömer Engin LÜTEM


Although Turkey-France relations have occasionally normal periods -albeit short-lived- for approximately ten years, in essence they are in a permanent state of crisis.


More...
Article Archive
Daily Bulletin Subscription
Daily Bulletin

CLINTON: WE ARE NEVER GOING TO GO DOWN THAT PATH TO CRIMINALIZE SPEECH
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said regarding the bill adopted by French Senate to make it a crime to deny Armenian allegations on the Ottoman era incidents of 1915 that she hoped that they were never going to go down that path to criminalize speech.More...
“FRANCE CANNOT BE KARABAKH MEDIATOR ANY MORE”
Interview with Aydin Mirzazade, an MP for the ruling New Azerbaijan Party and deputy chair of the Milli Majlis committee for defence and security.More...
“FRANCE MAY NOT BE REGARDED AS AN IMPARTIAL MEDIATOR, DUE TO THE RECENT FRENCH SENATE VOTE”
The Washington, DC-based Sidar Global Advisors (SGA) analytical group mentions in its next special research that France may not be regarded as an impartial mediator, due to the recent French Senate vote on 1915 events.More...
FRENCH “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” LAW - PUBLICITY GIMMICK AT THE EXPENSE OF TURKEY
The French action can be explained as part of President Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign to be reelected president of France later this spring, U.S. expert on Turkey Michael Gunter believes.More...
BAKU REFUSES TO COOPERATE WITH THE FRENCH NGO
Center of Youth Education has taken concrete steps with regard to adoption of the law criminalizing the denial of so-called "Armenian genocide".
More...
CAMERON: WE DO NOT WANT WAR IN KARABAKH
UK supports the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group, British Prime Minister said Wednesday speaking at the PACE.More...

MINISTER DISCUSSES ISLAMIC COMMUNITY ISSUE IN TURKEY
Serbia’s Labor and Social Policy Minister Rasim Ljajić has said that both Islamic community factions need to be more cooperative in order to reach an agreement.More...
"DIRTY MONEY, BLACKMAIL, PRESSURE TO RECOGNIZE KOSOVO"
Serbian FM Vuk Jeremić stated on Thursday that African countries which have not recognized Kosovo are still subject to strong pressure to change their stand.More...
"KFOR IMPARTIAL, NO WITHDRAWAL FROM KOSOVO"
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen says that the troops of the western military alliance had dealt effectively with the unexpected flare-up of tensions in Kosovo.More...
5,000 POLICEMEN TO PROVIDE SECURITY DURING GAME
Around 5,000 police officers will safeguard the European Handball Championship semifinal game in Belgrade between Serbia and Croatia on Friday evening.More...
ALBANIA AND EULEX TO SIGN ORGAN PROBE DEAL
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha says Albania will sign an agreement with the EU law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, to institutionalize cooperation on the investigation into organ harvesting allegations.More...
SDP DENIES SPLIT IN BOSNIA'S FEDERATION COALITION
Social Democrat chief denies reports that his four-party coalition is falling apart following a damaging row over a new law on policing.More...
GREECE PROTESTS OVER MACEDONIA’S TRIUMPHAL ARCH
Greece has sent a demarche to neighboring Macedonia in protest at what it says are Greek motifs and irredentist content depicted on the newly opened triumphal arch in Skopje.More...
MINISTER DISCUSSES ISLAMIC COMMUNITY ISSUE IN TURKEY
Serbia’s Labor and Social Policy Minister Rasim Ljajić has said that both Islamic community factions need to be more cooperative in order to reach an agreement. More...
LUKOIL ANNOUNCES MASSIVE INVESTMENT PROJECT IN BULGARIA
Bulgaria's Lukoil Neftochim Refinery, a subsidiary of the Russian energy giant, has kicked off a massive investment in a hydrocracking catalyst installation that will process petroleum waste.More...

IRAQ SHIITE LEADER GREETED WARMLY
Ammar al-Hakim (L) gets a warm welcome from Minister Davutoğlu in Ankara. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ
While tension between Turkey and Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki escalates, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu praised Iraqi Shiite leader Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, as being “very special” for Turkey and a “wise man,” whose leadership would be crucial in overcoming the sectarian conflict in Iraq.More...
TURKEY NEVER HAD ETHNIC OR SECTARIAN APPROACH IN ITS REGION - DAVUTOGLU
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with the head of Iraq's Islamic Supreme Council, Ammar al-Hakim, in Ankara on Thursday.More...
IRAQ SUICIDE BLAST KILLS DOZENS IN BAGHDAD
BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car near a funeral procession in southeastern Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 28 people in the latest brazen attack since the U.S. troop withdrawal, officials said.More...
IRAN, SYRIA AND IRAQ: TURKEY’S CHALLENGING TRIANGLE?
The triangle’s cooperation on questions of security is crucial to Turkey. Iran, Iraq and Syria share the volatile Kurdish issue with Turkey and each can play a part in lighting and quenching its fires, reports Idrees Mohammed.More...

CENTRAL ASIAN STATES, IRAQ LAST IN ENVIRONMENTAL INDEX
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iraq -- countries that have long occupied the lower rungs on corruption and freedoms rankings -- now have another disappointing evaluation to add to this list: They're positioned at the very bottom of the 2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI).More...
KAZAKHSTAN AIMS TO CONCLUDE WTO TALKS BY 2013
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev confirmed on Friday that the energy-rich Central Asian state was likely to conclude talks to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) this year.More...
KAZAKHSTAN CREATES ‘SEA-LAND’ INTEGRATED TRANSPORT AND LOGISTIC PRODUCT
The Kazakh railways and National sea shipping company "Kazmortransflot' signed an agreement on cooperation to create 'Sea-Land' integrated transport and logistic product, the Kazakh railways reported on Thursday.More...
CANADA, UZBEKISTAN PLAN TO INTENSIFY BUSINESS CONTACTS
Uzbekistan and Canada intend to intensify business contacts. It was discussed at a meeting with Canadian Ambassador John Sloan at the Uzbek Foreign Ministry on Thursday, the country's Foreign Ministry said.More...
CRIMINAL CASE ON RADIOACTIVE COAL SUPPLY TO KYRGYZSTAN TRANSFERRED TO COURT
Kyrgyz Attorney General Office reported that Kyrgyzstan Attorney General Office completed the investigation of a criminal case on supply of about 9,000 tons of radioactive coal from Kazakhstan. The criminal case is transferred to court.More...
UZBEK OPPOSITION LEADER'S BROTHER SENTENCED TO FIVE MORE YEARS
The mystery over why the brother of a prominent Uzbek opposition figure was not released from prison as scheduled has been solved -- he is serving an additional five-year term. More...
INDIA, PAKISTAN CLOSER TO OIL DEAL IMPORT FROM TURKMENISTAN
India and Pakistan are closer to agreeing on a transit fee and a joint strategy to develop gas fields and import the hydrocarbon via a pipeline from the Central Asian Republic of Turkmenistan, oil ministers of two countries said.More...
U.S. SLAPS TERRORIST DESIGNATIONS ON MEMBERS OF UZBEK ISLAMIST GROUPS
The United States has slapped terrorist designations on two members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and one member of Uzbekistan's Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), prohibiting U.S. transactions with the men and freezing of all of their U.S. property and interests in property. More...
FORMER HIGH-RANKING US OFFICIALS VOICE SKEPTICISM ON AFGHANISTAN PLAN
Afghan soldiers march during the second phase of transfer of authority ceremony from the NATO-led troops to Afghan security forces in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, January 26, 2012.More...
ASEAN AND SCO: SAME TRADITIONS AND MISSIONS
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, widely known as ASEAN, will celebrate its 45th anniversary in August 2012.More...

FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FRANCOIS HOLLANDE UNVEILS MANIFESTO
The Socialist presidential candidate in France has set out his election policies, saying he would target the rich to tackle the country's budget deficit and fund spending plans.More...
GREEK TALKS WITH PRIVATE CREDITORS CONTINUE
Key talks between Athens and its private creditors have resumed, with "some progress" made towards agreeing a deal to reduce Greek debt.More...
DAVID CAMERON URGES EUROPEAN LEADERS TO 'BE BOLDER'
David Cameron has told EU leaders they must be "bolder" if they want to shake off their economic troubles.More...
CHINA SLAMS EU'S IRAN SANCTIONS
China has criticised the EU's decision, reached earlier this week, to stop importing oil from Iran over its nuclear programme. "To blindly pressure and impose sanctions on Iran are not constructive approaches," the foreign ministry is quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency on Thursday.More...
GERMANY REACTIVATES RESCUE FUND FOR BANKS IN TROUBLE
The German parliament has approved a government plan to provide cash-strapped banks with a safety net for the second time since the collapse of Lehman Brothers. But the banks say they won't need it.More...
SARKOZY’S MAIN RIVAL OFFERS PROPOSALS FOR LIFTING FRANCE’S ECONOMY
François Hollande, the Socialist Party candidate leading in the polls for the French presidency, appeared Thursday to try to address complaints that he had been too vague about his plans for France and its slowing economy, issuing a package of 60 measures that would increase taxes and government spending but aim to balance the budget by 2017.More...
FOR GREECE, THE OUTLOOK IS STILL GRIM
Even as Greece tries to convince creditors that its debt-reduction efforts are on track, gloomy new International Monetary Fund forecasts about its long-term economy are threatening to derail talks meant to secure the nation’s next big installment of bailout funds.More...
OPEN, LIBERAL THEATRE UNDER FIRE IN HUNGARY
We are alarmed by the imposition of a far-right director on one of Budapest's leading theatres, and call on our foreign secretary and the international community to put pressure on the Hungarian government to reverse the decision before 1 February, the day the theatre is scheduled to change hands.More...