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This morning on the show The Great visit Europe 1, led by Jean-Pierre Elkabach and Michaël Darmon, Senate President Gerard Larcher, said he is “not in favor of accession” Turkey in the European Union in the current state.
Note that Gérard Larcher is the former president of the friendship group France-Turkey.
Francois Hollande said Saturday that he intends to make “no concessions” to Turkey on human rights or visas in exchange for guarantees on the control of migratory flows, after a meeting with a dozen social-leaders European Democrats at the Elysee. “There should be no concessions on human rights or the visa liberalization criteria,” said the president during a brief
Since 1993, social Children’s homes in Pas de Calais undertake, through their educational projects, in solidarity actions towards Armenian children boarding. They are launching a major project for this summer: “Mountain biking solidarity” that is to say to raid 750 km mountain bike with 40 French and Armenian adolescents. The purpose: besides the cultural and human enrichment, humanitarian aid to orphanages in Armenia 2.
All details here: https://www.mymajorcompany.com/raid-vtt-armenie-2014-projet-sociohumanitaire
Marie-Christine VERGIAT, European MP has launched an appeal to member states to remove the PKK from the terrorist list and received the support of over 100 MEPs. Here is the call and the list of signatories:
The PKK must be removed from the EU list of terrorist organizations
Call more than 100 European parliamentarians to Member States
The prospect of achieving a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey is threatened. The violence intensifies and pose a serious risk to the stability of Turkey and the region. In Turkey, we are facing more and more to an explosion of violence that puts the idea of a peace process and weakens the fight against Daech.
Already, the European Union through the voice of its High Representative but also the European Council, the UN and the US have launched appeals for peace in Turkey.
In this context, there is evidence that the PKK’s inclusion on this list is therefore opposed to the establishment of peace, dialogue and negotiations. It aids in the name of the fight against terrorism, violations of human rights, allows the restriction of thought and press freedoms.
The Kurds are an important component of the political struggles in the Middle East and a peaceful solution to the Kurdish conflict is not possible without negotiations with the PKK, which were accepted by the former Prime Minister and current President Erdogan. Similarly in Northern Ireland, a peaceful solution will be possible only by involving all concerned parties.
We parliamentarians undersigned, ask the Council of the European Union that this list be revised and that the PKK removed from the list of EU terrorist organizations.
signatories:
VERGIAT Marie-Christine
GOMES Ana
VALERO Bodil
Josef Weidenholzer
Michael DEMESMEAKER
KELAM Tunne
Izaskun BILBAO BARANDICA
Fabio Massimo CASTALDO
Matt CARTHY
Marina ALBIOL GUZMAN
Margrete Auken
BJORK Malin
Martina ANDERSON
Lynn BOYLAN
CHOUNTIS Nikolaos
BENIFEI Brando
Lefteris Christoforou
José BOVÉ
Kostas CHRYSOGONOS
CORRAO Ignazio
Javier Couso
DE MASI Fabio
João FERREIRA
DURAND Pascal
FARIA Jose Inacio
ECK Stefan
Eva KAILI
Paloma LOPEZ BERMEJO
Sergio Gaetano COFFERATI
ERNST Cornelia
EVI Eleonora
Ernest Maragall
GRASWANDER-HAINZ Karoline
Sabine LÖSING
Eleonora FORENZA
Klaus BUCHNER
HÄNDEL Thomas
FREUND Eugen
Arne GERICKE
Costas Mavrides
Maria GRAPINI
Karima DELLI
Eleni THEOCHAROUS
JAAKONSAARI Liisa
Takis HADJIGEORGIOU
Jordi SEBASTIA
Heidi Hautala
Yannick Jadot
Dennis DE JONG
Bart Staes
António Marinho e Pinto
Eva Joly Gro
KARI Rina Ronja
KELLER January
MICHELS Martina
Kateřina Konečná
Merja Kyllönen
Jean LAMBERT
THE HYARIC Patrick
Barbara LOCHBIHLER
LUNACEK Ulrike
MALTESE Curzio
JUARISTI ABAUNZ Iosu
Jiri MASTALKA
GONZALEZ PENAS Tania
Kuneva Kostadinka
Marisa MATIAS
MÉLENCHON Jean-Luc
MINOR Anne-Marie
Michel Reimon
PAPADIMOULIS Dimitrios
NI RIADA Liadh
PANZERI Pier Antonio
Alfred SANT
Pedicini Piernicola
Georgi Pirinski
VALLINA OF NOVAL Angela Rosa
Evelyn Regner
Demetris Papadakis
SPINELLI Barbara
RIVASI Michèle
Miguel VIEGAS
Sofia Sakorafa
SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY María Dolores Lola
SCOTT CATO Molly
Ernest URTASUN
SERRÃO Ricardo SANTOS
Alyn SMITH
ZUBER Inês
Škrlec Davor
Ivo VAJGL
Gabriele ZIMMER
Keith TAYLOR
SENRA Lidia RODRIGUEZ
REVAULT of ALLONNES Bonnefoy Christine
Terricabras Josep-Maria
TORRES MARTINEZ Estefania
URBAN CRESPO Miguel
SYLIKIOTIS Neoklis
VANA Monika
Helmut SCHOLZ
Tatjana Ždanoka
PARIS. – The discussions, and with respect to the preparation of a draft law that criminalizes the denial of the Armenian Genocide, have resumed in France.
President François Hollande stated the aforesaid during the annual dinner, which was held this year on Thursday evening in Paris, by the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations in France (CCAF).
Hollande added that he has entrusted French jurist Jean-Paul Costa, the former President of the European Court of Human Rights, in the drafting of this law, French Armenian journalist Jean Eckian told Armenian News-NEWS.am.
The French president said he has instructed Costa to find in this bill a clear and incontestable way which will enable to defend the memory of the genocide victims, and that this should be done in a very short time.
Also, François Hollande reflected on the failure of a similar draft law in France in 2012, and noted that in this case, the bill needs to be invulnerable in terms of constitutionality.
(DW) In his high-profile European visit, the Iranian president has gotten a taste of how eager the continent is to tap into his country’s market. Rouhani has hailed warming relations between Iran and France.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani was formally welcomed to France Thursday morning at the gold-dome Invalides monument ahead of meetings with business leaders, the head of UNESCO, and President Francois Hollande. He expressed a desire to “turn the page” during the highly-anticipated visit , the first by an Iranian president since 1999.
“Let us forget the resentment,” said Rouhani, weeks after Western sanctions against his country were dropped in exchange for curbs to its nuclear program. “We are ready to turn the page,” the president said, and create “a new relationship between our countries.”
After his talk, French automaker Peugeot announced a joint venture with Iranian car manufacturer Khodro to produce 200,000 cars a year at a plant outside of Tehran. Rouhani is also expected to confirm later a purchase of 100 passenger jets from Toulouse-based aircraft firm Airbus.
Following the Peugeot declaration, Rouhani met with France’s Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who said the new nations should put the past to bed. “France is available for Iran. Iran can count on France,” said the premier.
The French Government will grant to Armenia next week a loan of $ 82 million. It will be used for the renovation and expansion of irrigation networks in rural areas of the country.
According to the French Embassy in Yerevan, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Ministry of Finance of Armenia will sign an agreement to this effect on January 26.
A statement from the embassy published last Thursday explained that the loan will directly benefit 4,500 households in the southern Ararat Valley where there are a lot of fruit growing, and west of the Armenian capital. The statement said the loan will be devoted primarily to the construction of a water tank near Vedi, a small town in the south of the province of Ararat. The plant will increase by 3,200 hectares the total area of arable land in the area covered by irrigation.
The head of the water resources of the State Committee in Armenia, Aram Harutyunyan stressed the importance of “strategic” Vedi the tank during his meeting with AFD official early December 2015. He explained that the Construction will begin in 2016 and last about five years.
The Soviet-built irrigation systems in Armenia have already absorbed considerable capital investment in recent years. This includes a $ 177 million reconstruction of 6 main canals, 17 water pumping stations and water drainage system of Ararat and Armavir the neighboring provinces. It was funded by a US government agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The project was completed in 2011.
Later in 2011, the World Bank had disbursed a loan of $ 18 million for other improvements in the irrigation of the country, which should benefit around 90,000 farmers. However, lack of irrigation water remains a serious problem that hinders the development of the Armenian agricultural sector.
In 2015, the Armenian government has obtained two other irrigation loans with a combined value of $ 65 million, from the Fund Eurasia in Moscow for the stabilization and development and a loan from the OPEC group of exporting nations oil.
YEREVAN. – Currently both the French Senate and National Assembly are holding debates concerning the bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide. Minister of State for Development and Francophonie of France, Annick Girardin, said the aforementioned today, touching on the question at which stage is the bill on criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial in France.
She reminded that France has acknowledged the Armenian Genocide, two president-level visits to Armenia took place, and France also took part in the events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
“The issue of the Armenian Genocide was touched on the sidelines of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, whose chairman condemned the Armenian Genocide. Apparently, we acknowledge this realia, but it’s necessary to understand that this is one of the pages of history, which must be turned. We are here to provide efficient support to Armenian in different spheres – economy, tourism and education – so that the youth of Armenian is able to properly use their knowledge in favor of the country’s development,” Annick Girardin said.
On December 3 last year, the French parliament considered the bill on criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The bill was drafted by the French opposition MP of the Republican Party Valérie Boyer. On November 25, the draft was debated in Senate’s Justice Committee.
The abovementioned bill was adopted by the Lower Chamber of the French parliament in December 2011, and by the Senate in January 2012. In response, Turkey froze its diplomatic and economic ties with France. However, President Sarkozy refused to sign the law, giving time for its contestation in the Constitutional Court.
On 29 February 2012, the law was ruled to contradict the French Constitution. Later it turned out that one of the French Constitutional Court members was in correspondence with the Turkish ex-FM Yaşar Yakış and had assured him that the bill wouldn’t be adopted.
With nearly 50 members, the Circle proves to be as active as the Friendship Parliamentary Groups of the most important.
The Circle of Friendship France-Karabakh is pleased to record the accession of eight new members: Mrs Françoise Dumas (MP Gard, PS) and Nathalie Niezon (Member of the Drôme, PS) and MM. Michel Destot (Isère MP PS), Hugues Fourage MP (Vendée, PS), François-Michel Lambert (Member of the Bouches-du-Rhône, PS), Jean Launay (MP Lot, PS), Emmanuel Mandon (Regional Advisor Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, UDI) and Bruno Le Roux (MP for Seine-Saint Denis, Chairman of the Socialist Group in the National Assembly). With these eight new members, the Friendship Circle now has 48 members.
“The enthusiasm aroused among our circle of elected officials across the political spectrum and from all regions of France attests to the correctness of the cause we defend, that of peace and democracy in the South Caucasus, but also effectiveness of our action, “stated in a joint statement Rochebloine François, President of the Circle and MM. René Rouquet and Guy Tessier, Vice-Presidents.
Many observers point out that with almost fifty members and strong political action as a complement of French diplomacy, the Circle of Friendship France-Karabakh itself as one of the most powerful tools in the service of radiation and French influence in a strategically important region.
“We welcome the support of our colleagues and particularly that close parliamentary executive. Their arrival demonstrates a better understanding of the problem karabaghiote by national political class and will allow a better consideration of the aspirations of French civil society vis-à-vis that country. The weight and credibility of France will come forth that reinforced “went further Rochebloine François, President of the Circle of Friendship.
A further supported by MM perspective. Rouquet and Teissier who stressed that “with about fifty members, the Friendship Circle is an elected representative community and can usefully work towards a better understanding of Nagorno-Karabakh, its issues and its institutions by the national government. “
Technip Maritime Overseas LTD of France has closed its branch in Azerbaijan.
Trend news agency of Azerbaijan reported the aforementioned citing Vergiler newspaper the printed publication of the Ministry of Taxes of the country.
This French company processes oil equipment and constructs pipelines.
Technip Maritime Overseas LTD had opened its Baku branch in 1993.