PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
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Statement by H. E. Vartan Oskanian
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
On the French National Assembly vote of October 12, 2006
Yerevan, Armenia

Today’s approval of the bill by the French National Assembly is a natural
continuation of France’s principled and consistent defense of human and
historic rights and values.

This decision is also a natural reaction to the intensive, aggressive and
official denialism of the Armenian Genocide by the Turkish state. They have
undertaken a premeditated, planned assault on the truth.

To adopt such a decision is the French Parliament’s sovereign right and is
understandable. What we don’t understand is the Turkish government’s
instigation of extremist public reactions, especially while Turkey itself
has a law that does exactly the same thing and punishes those who even use
the term genocide or venture to discuss those events.