ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS EXPRESS GRATITUDE TO THEIR FRENCH COLLEAGUES FOR ADOPTION OF LAW CONDEMNING DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 28 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. On November 28, RA National Assembly
Speaker Tigran Torosian received Head of the French National Assembly’s
France-Armenia Deputy Friendship Group, Francois Rochebloine, group
member Alen Muan Bersan and group Secretary Jean-Pierre Delaunay. He
highly estimated the efforts of the French parliament aimed at right
perception of issues delicate for Armenia, in particular, adoption
of the bill determining a punishment for denial of the Armenian
Genocide. In Tigran Torosian’s words, indeed it is aimed at not
punishing individuals, but expresses a precise attitude towards such
phenomena for the purpose of preventing them.
NA Speaker informed the guests about Armenia’s position on Nagorno
Karabakh settlement and on Turkey. He said that more favorable
situation has been formed at present for solving the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict: principles of nations’ self-determination and territorial
integrity were opposed to each other for a long time and now the
Minsk Group Co-chairs propose a resolution where these principles
are confronted with each other. Touching upon relations with Turkey
T.Torosian said that Armenia is for normal relations without any
preconditions but Turkey puts forward preconditions, which, naturally,
is unacceptable.
F.Rochebloine who visits Armenia for the 15th time mentioned the
great progress Armenia has in all spheres after the 90-s.
At the meeting, they also touched upon issues of cooperation of
Armenian and French delegations in PACE.
According to the report submitted to Noyan Tapan from RA NA Public
Relations Department, the same day the Armenia-France Deputy Friendship
Group met with members of NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations
and RA NA Armenia-France Deputy Friendship Group.
Highly estimating the current level of Armenian-French many-sided
relations Committee Chairman Armen Rustamian attached importance
to further development of interparliamentary relations. Expressing
gratitude for the bill condemning denial of the Armenian Genocide, he
mentioned that it raised to a new level the international community’s
attention towards the Armenian Genocide. A.Rustamian expressed the
hope that the change in the staff of the U.S. Congress in favor of
deputies with a pro-Armenian position will enable to give more serious
attention to the problem of the Genocide in the U.S. as well.
Mher Shahgeldian, Head of Armenia-France Deputy Friendship Group,
also expressed gratitude to the French parliament for adopting the
law determining a punishment for denial of the Armenian Genocide. He
attached importance to necessity to cooperate in the sphere of economy,
to use the French experience in electoral processes.