“It’s hard to reinstate French-Turkish relations”
The new French government will discuss the Constitutional Council's February 29 decision before presenting the new bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide. This is what newly appointed French Minister of Foreign Affairs Loran Fabius told the French Le Mond periodical, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
By that decision, the Constitutional Council recognized the Senate's January 24 bill on 1 year of imprisonment and a 45,000 Euro fine for denial of the Armenian Genocide in France as unconstitutional, saying the bill set restrictions on freedom of speech.
During his election campaign, President-elect Francois Hollande pledged French-Armenian voters to present a new bill to the Senate.
"However, there are certain legal restrictions," said the French FM, without going into the details.
Mentioning that French-Turkish relations intensified during the adoption of the previous bill, Loran Fabius said he doubted that they would easily be reinstated.
"In any case, it is important for us to reinstate relations with Turkey because that country plays a serious role in France's economy and diplomacy, for instance, in the Syrian and Iranian issues," said the French FM.
According to diplomatic sources, the Hurriyet Daily News notes that the Armenian Cause remains a potential threat to French-Turkish relations.
