Turkish president calls France to drop Armenia bill

President Abdullah Gül has called on France to backtrack on passing a bill that criminalizes those who refuse to define the World War I-era killings of Armenians at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire as genocide as soon as possible.

Gül released a written statement on Tuesday, criticizing the latest French move to penalize denial of the alleged Armenian genocide in France. Stating that the bill is unacceptable, Gül said, "It is inconsiderate to distort history for political purposes."

"It is impossible for us to accept a bill that is now on the agenda of the French National Assembly and which aims to eliminate freedom of denying unfair and groundless accusations directed against our country and nation. I hope France gives up this move, which is disrespectable to freedom of expression and which will soon put France in a position that will not even allow objective research in France. We expect that mind and common sense rule in France, the bill in question is dropped and history writing is left to historians," Gül said in the statement.

The French National Assembly is scheduled to discuss the bill, which makes denial of the alleged Armenian genocide a crime punishable by a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros, on Thursday amidst strong reactions from Turkey.


/World Bulletin/