'Null and void': Türkiye blasts French resolution on Assyrians, Chaldeans in Ottoman period

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) — Türkiye on Monday rejected as "null and void" a resolution passed by French lawmakers that it said made unfounded accusations related to the Assyrian and Chaldean communities under the Ottoman Empire.

The resolution, passed by French parliament's lower house, the National Assembly, is "an example of efforts to distort historical events for the sake of political interests," said a statement by Türkiye's Foreign Ministry.

Underlining that the resolution has no "legal or historical foundation," the statement noted that the French government had withheld support from a similar resolution adopted by the French Senate last year.

"The fact that the same unfounded accusations have been put on the agenda of the National Assembly this time by members of the ruling party is an example of efforts to distort historical events for the sake of political interests," it said.

The ministry also stressed that parliaments have no authority to interpret or render judgements on historical events.

"This resolution also contravenes the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which states that the crime of genocide can only be ruled by a competent court," it added.