Turkish Parliament condemns French decision on Assyrians, Chaldeans

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus decries French National Assembly’s stance on Assyrians and Chaldeans, calling for historical accuracy and peaceful relations between the two oountries

Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Numan Kurtulmus sent a letter to the President of the French National Assembly Yael Braun-Pivet condemning the decision regarding Assyrians and Chaldeans adopted by the French National Assembly on April 29.

French parliament approved a decision on recognizing the so-called genocide claims against Assyrians and Chaldeans by the Ottoman Empire.

In the letter, Kurtulmus said, “We deeply condemn the adoption of an Assyrian-Chaldean bill containing baseless allegations against Ottoman history in the French National Assembly on April 29, 2024, at a time when we are trying to develop parliamentary relations with your country. This is a severe accusation that we do not deserve and does not align with historical facts. The repetition of unsubstantiated claims regarding the events of 1915 in the decision is also regrettable.”

Kurtulmus emphasized that national parliaments should focus on building bridges of peace and friendship between nations instead of fostering hostility. 

“Such decisions that distort historical facts or make arbitrary genocide allegations, despite the clear definition in international law, cast a shadow on the credibility of parliaments. Moreover, parliaments have neither a scientific nor a judicial role in writing history.

The years of World War I are remembered in history as a period when all peoples of the Ottoman Empire were victims, regardless of religion or ethnic origin. The political exploitation of history and the selective, biased, and distorted interpretation of past grievances will only fuel extremist and populist politics with fuel discrimination, religious hatred, and xenophobia. Encouraging reason and common sense in the face of hatred and enmity should be the primary duty of the political institution. I hope for the positive advancement of relations between our countries and wish you success in your efforts in this direction,” he said. 

Source: Newsroom

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