Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.23 / Trend M.Aliyev /
If the French Senate adopts a bill criminalising denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide" relations with Turkey will be seriously damaged, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters at the press-conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Monday, expressing his attitude toward bill which is being discussed at present in the French Senate.
He said Turkey considers France to be exemplary country.
"Level of cooperation between the two countries was at good level. Unfortunately, today's wrong decisions contribute to worsening of these relations. Bill which is being considered in the French Senate hits freedom of speech. This bill also contradicts regulations of the European convention on human rights and decisions of the European court. The Armenian diaspora made claims on "genocide" and we do not understand desire of the French parliament to rewrite history," he said.
He said it is historians who should deal with history.
"However this issue is used in France for domestic purposes. All this doesn't correspond to the France's history, to its past. We hope this mistake will be corrected during the consideration of this bill in the French Senate. In case the bill is adopted relations between Turkey and France will be seriously damaged," he said.