Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 27 / Trend E. Mehdiyev /
The French lower house's vote to criminalize denial of the "Armenian genocide" will be "a shady and tricky intrigue" that would widely damage the international image of France, Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov said in an interview with Today's Zaman.
Azimov raised concerns regarding the French vote. He found the vote "strange" given the fact that France acted as co-chairs to the Minsk Group.
Azimov believes that the bill was based on "a false history" which Armenians were promoting.
Azimov has stated that his country is "badly disappointed" by the French Parliament's decision, and he reaffirmed that Turkey and Azerbaijan, as with many other issues, were on the same page regarding the Armenian controversy.
Last week, the French parliament passed a bill criminalising denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide".
Some 45 out of 577 French MPs voted, 38 of which voted for, while seven went against the adoption of the bill.
The bill demands a one year imprisonment and 45,000 euros fine for denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide".
Turkey announced that it is freezing all diplomatic relations with France in response to the decision by the French Parliament.
MPs from the French President's "Union for Popular Movement" (UMP) party which has the parliamentary majority, proposed the bill which aims at criminalising denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide" to the legislative committee of the National Assembly in early December.
The Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the Turkey - Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against the Armenians living in Anadolu, and achieved recognition of the "Armenian Genocide" by the parliaments of several countries.