At a dinner held for Armenian community groups in Paris two nights ago, Kocharian spoke about the possible risks posed by having Turkey as a neighbor, saying "We have the same neighbor now that refused to accept its guilt in 1915. There is a risk that what happened before could happen again."

Kocharian's presence in Paris was also in honor of the official start to France's "Year of Armenia," which will involve a variety of social and cultural activities.

Kocharian and French President Jacques Chirac came together this week to attend the opening of a new exhibition at the Louvre on Armenian Christian art. Hurriyet