Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec 21 /Trend M.Aliev/
Europe is experiencing not only an economic crisis, but also a mentality crisis, Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights head Rabiyat Aslanova told journalists in Baku, while commenting on the introduction of a bill criminalizing the denial of the so-called "Armenian Genocide" in the French Senate.
"By mentality crisis, I mean the subjective relation to other states and the desire to control other regions. All of this suggests that there are principle of subjectivity and hegemony in some European countries," Aslanova said.
"Today, many have recognized that Western countries are manipulated with such value as human rights and freedoms. The step in France is aimed at prosecution for the failure to recognize the so-called 'Armenian Genocide,'" Aslanova said.
The French parliament is set to vote next week on a piece of legislation that could make denying the 1915 events that took place in Turkey as "genocide" punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros. The Turkish reaction escalated over the week from mild suggestion to the French to reconsider the voting, to outright warnings that France will be facing severe consequences, including the withdrawal of the Turkish ambassador from Paris, as the day of the voting, Monday the Dec. 19, approached.
Armenia and its lobby claim the Turkish Republic's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, committed genocide against Armenians in Anatolia in 1915. Pressured by Armenian propaganda, the governments of a number of countries have recognized the so-called "1915 Genocide."