French Genocide Vote Historic: Armenia

FRENCH GENOCIDE VOTE HISTORIC: ARMENIA

Financial Express Bangladesh

Jan 24 2012

YEREVAN, Jan 24, (agencies): The French Senate’s vote to approve a
bill outlawing denial of the Armenian genocide is a historic move
that will help prevent crimes against humanity, Armenia’s foreign
ministry said Tuesday.

“This day will be written in gold not only in the history of friendship
between the Armenian and French peoples, but also in the annals of
the history of the protection of human rights worldwide,” Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in a statement.

The vote “will further consolidate the existing mechanisms of
prevention of crimes against humanity,” the statement said.

Armenia and its large diaspora around the world has long campaigned
for international recognition of the killings during World War I as
genocide, despite strong denials from Turkey.

The issue has poisoned relations between the two neighbours whose
mutual border remains closed, and still inspires intense feelings
among Armenians.

Nalbandian said that the French vote was the “logical continuation”
of France’s recognition of the mass killings as genocide in 2001.