YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Turkish President Ahmed Sezer sent a letter to President of France Jacque Shirac demanding France abandon the adoption of the Armenian genocide bill in the parliament.
According to the Turkish Jumhuriet newspaper–such letters were sent to other high ranking French officials by Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit–parliament speaker and the head of foreign affairs committee. The letters all warn that any decision detriment to Turkey will harm relations between France and Turkey.
A discussion on the issue is scheduled for January 18. According to the Turkish Milliet newspaper–the First Secretary of France’s Embassy in Turkey Francois Nekodin paid a visit to the Turkish parliament and said that France’s parliament is most likely to adopt the formula on the Armenian genocide.
The French diplomat added–"Elections of local governing bodies will be held in France in March–and the Armenian lobby in France is very strong."