DECISION OF FRENCH CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL IS A VICTORY FOR TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN
Trend
March 1 2012
Azerbaijan
March 01–The decision of the Constitutional Council of France is
a significant victory for Turkish and Azerbaijani diplomacy, Deputy
Chairman and Executive Secretary of the ruling party Yeni Azerbaijan
(NAP) Ali Ahmedov said.
“Repeal of the law criminalizing denial of the so-called “Armenian
genocide” by the Constitutional Council of the France is a significant
victory for the Turkish and Azerbaijani diplomacy” Ahmedov said.
Ahmedov noted that the French society has expressed its attitude to
Nicolas Sarkozy, who announced candidacy in the upcoming presidential
election.
Ahmedov said this event suggests that Sarkozy will be deprived of his
strong support of voters as a candidate in the upcoming presidential
elections.
“The Constitutional Council has saved the democratic traditions and
values of France from serious impacts by adopting such a decision.
France is known for its deep and rich democratic traditions, and
Sarkozy and his supporters have actually cast a large shadow over
the democratic image of France by adopting such an illogical law,”
Ahmedov said.
“It shows that not everybody in France favors Sarkozy and his
supporters. Most of the population in France is made of people with
a democratic mindset and they don’t want any restrictions on freedom
of expression in their country, which has democratic traditions,”
Ahmedov noted.
The Constitutional Court of France repealed a law criminalizing denial
of the so-called “Armenian genocide” on Tuesday.
The Council justified it by the fact that the law contradicts Article
33 of the Constitution of France and the freedom of speech.
Following this decision, French President Nicolas Sarkozy ordered the
government to prepare a new bill criminalizing denial of the so-called
“Armenian genocide”.
On January 23, after an eight-hour debate, the Senate adopted the bill
criminalizing denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide”. While 127
senators voted in favor, 86 voted against.
The bill demands a year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euro for
denying the so-called genocide.
Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the Turkey
— Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against Armenians
living in Anadolu, and achieved recognition of the “Armenian Genocide”
by the parliaments of several countries.