Armenia has welcomed the French bill making it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide.

“We welcome the adoption by the French Senate of a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide, which had been approved by the National Assembly in summer,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in a statement.

“With this step France once again reiterates its valuable role in the condemnation of genocides committed in the past, the fight against denial and the prevention of new crimes against humanity,” Minister Nalbandian said.

The French Senate  voted 156 to 146 today to pass a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.