news.am September 16, 2012 | 10:53
Turkey will convene a conference on September 18 at its embassy in Bern, Switzerland, and not only the Swiss National Council members, but also American denialist historian Justin McCarthy are invited to this event, Nouvelles d’Armenie monthly of France reports.
The Switzerland-Turkey Parliamentary Group leaders likewise will attend the meeting, Swiss DRS Radio informs.
Group’s leader Alec von Graffenried, however, expressed discontent over McCarthy being invited to the event, in which the Group’s Co-Chair Andreas Gross likewise will participate.
“When someone invites you, you can’t determine the ‘menu.’ Nonetheless, the owner must know that we don’t ‘eat’ everything,” Gross stated, pointing to the campaign of genocide denial.
“We insured ourselves by saying that we wish no provocation. We, too, were assured of this,” von Graffenried said, in his turn.
But Switzerland-Armenia Friendship Group Chairman Ueli Leuenberger criticized this position.
“I believe the Switzerland-Turkey Parliamentary Group leaders are working completely irresponsibly,” he stated, and expressed a concern that the Turkish side will exploit von Graffenried’s and Gross’ attendance to the conference.
To note, Genocide denial is a crime punishable by law in Switzerland.