ANKARA. – Following France’s passing of the bill that criminalizes the denial of genocides, including the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish government declined from the French-made Renault Latitude-model automobiles, which it had ordered for leasing, and it opted for the American-made Ford Mondeo instead.           

The Akmercan Company, which leases service vehicles to the Turkish government, was preparing to purchase 130 Renault Latitudes, but after the developments in France with respect to the aforesaid bill, the government asked the Company that the new cars not be French-made. So, the Company now has initially ordered for 20 Ford Mondeos, Haberturk of Turkey informs.        

It is also noted that the contract for providing electric cars to Turkey’s Science, Industry and Technology Ministry is suspended until the French Constitutional Council’s decision.

And since there is no final decision yet, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not yet accepted the electric-powered Renault Fluence, which was given to him as a present.

To note, with a vote of 127 in favor and 86 against, France’s Senate had passed on January 23 the bill that criminalizes the denial of the genocides which this country has formally recognized. And these are the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust. This draft law sets a one-year prison sentence plus a 45-thousand-Euro fine for anyone who denies these genocides. But on Tuesday, the French Constitutional Council accepted the appeal—against this bill—which was signed by 72 French senators.