ArmInfo.Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian has come out with a statement over the French Senate's bill criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in early 20th century.
"We welcome the French Senate's decision to pass the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial. The bill was approved by the National Assembly yet this summer. France has once again proved its valuable role in condemnation of genocides committed in the past and in the fight against denial, as well as in the efforts to prevent new crimes against humanity," Nalbandian said in the statement received by ArmInfo.
The French Senate has voted 156 to 146 to pass a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in early 20th century.
The text is consistent with that adopted by the National Assembly earlier in July. However, it is not ruled out that like last time, under pressure of the Turkish lobby, the document will not be submitted to the Constitutional Court of France for consideration.
Earlier, in 2012 Senators in the upper house voted 127 to 86 in favor of the draft law outlawing genocide denial. The lower house had backed it in December, prompting Ankara to cancel all economic, political and military meetings with Paris and recall its ambassador for consultations. President Nicolas Sarkozy did not sign it. On Feb 29, 2012, the bill was recognized unconstitutional. Switzerland, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Greece have already criminalized denial of the Armenian Genocide.