French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen pledges to continue to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, if elected.

“I will continue to commemorate the genocide of which the Armenian people have been victim since it is the first great crime against humanity in the twentieth century. Moreover, the arrival of many Armenians in France in 1915 was an important event in the history of our country because they contributed greatly to our nation and contributed to its reconstruction after the First World War and were perfectly assimilated,” Le Pen said in an interview with .

“It seems to me important that the genocide of 1915 is widely recognized by all the countries of the world and that Turkey at last begins a serious reflection on this terrible page of its history. France must absolutely support the struggle for recognition because of its status as a homeland of human rights and the large number of Armenians who have found refuge there and have successfully integrated themselves there,” she added.

Marine Le Pen said she stands against Turkey’s accession to the European Union. “Unlike the other major parties, MEPs of the National Front have always voted against the opening of new chapters of accession talks with Turkey, and we are the only ones to oppose it firmly and unambiguously. On this subject, I am the only candidate to have never changed opinions and to be credible.”

The presidential candidate said she stands for recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic by France. “I believe it would be desirable for Azerbaijan and Armenia to reach an agreement allowing Nagorno-Karabakh to unite with Armenia.”