French MP: “Armenian genocide” issue should be left for historians

Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 23 / Trend A.Badalova/ Lawmakers should leave the "Armenian genocide" ["" - editor's note] issue for historians to consider, Member of the Senate Commission for International Affairs Nathalie Goulet believes. "We as the lawmakers should leave this issue for historians to consider as we do not allow them to write the laws," Goulet told Trend over phone. On Thursday the French parliament adopted a bill criminalizing denial of the "Armenian Genocide". The National Assembly voted for the bill. The bill envisages about one year imprisonment and a fine worth 45,000 euros for denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide". Some 45 out of 577 French MPs participated in the voting, 38 of which voted for, while 7 voted against the adoption of the bill. Goulet noted that Armenian lobby attempted to pass the same bill through Senate in last May, but they failed. When the Armenian lobby tried to bring the issue to the Senate last May, Goulet encouraged other members of the house to remove issue out of legislative process. "I firmly believe the issue is a piece of past history and has no consequential effect to promote peace and friendship amongst nations involved," Goulet said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy's policy of appeasement towards Armenia and having French-Armenian votes in this election year might have triggered the issue again, Goulet stressed. However, she stressed that the passage of the bill on the floor of Assembly National does not make it the "Law". Both houses are to vote on the issue before it becomes the law. Goulet note some brave leaders like Francois Bayrou, a prominent member of National Assembly and a presidential candidate and leader for powerful Centrist Party, who is a good friend of Turkey and Azerbaijan, voted against the bill. "He recognizes that lawmakers are not supposed to write history," she said. Goulet firmly believes that Turkish Government with the help of the Azerbaijanis should intensify their lobby and act more firmly by boycotting companies like Airbus and shift their purchases for arms and other industrial equipment to other sources in retaliation to unfriendly gesture of French Government. Armenia and its lobby claim the Turkish Republic's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, committed genocide against Armenians in Anatolia in 1915. Pressured by Armenian propaganda, the parliaments of a number of countries have recognized the so-called "1915 genocide" Earlier before the adoption of the bill Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu threatened to sever diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries if the bill is adopted. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az