YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, ARMENPRESS: Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide the President of France François Hollande will make concrete and definite steps related to the adoption of the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial. The Chairman of the Committee of France of the Armenian Cause Hrach Varzhapetyan told Armenpress about it. “I do not have any doubts connected with the adoption of the Armenian Genocide denial criminalizing law, as the President stated quite clear that the presidential palace intends to solve the issue only within the limits of the law. We are interested in that, as if the issue is settled in accordance with the law, the bill should be adopted and introduced. I am certain that by the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide the French President will make concrete and definite steps, especially since he is going to arrive in Yerevan in May, where he will make a positive and progressive statement on the bill”, - said Varzhapetyan.

Commenting on the statement of the French President Hollande made during his official visit to Turkey, related to the taking into account the history, Varzhapetyan noted that the news spread by the French media and the statement of the President are quite different from each other: the French media published that Hollande made an appeal to recognize the Armenian Genocide, though the President did not make such a statement. “In this connection the expectations of the French Armenian community has not been justified. In the President's statement the things were not called by their proper names. The justifications, that Hollande could not make such a statement being in Turkey, are unacceptable. The Armenian National Committee will continue pursuing the same requirement to achieve the final justice”, - clarified the Chairman of the Committee of France of the Armenian Cause Hrach Varzhapetyan.

On the eve of the official visit of the President of France François Hollande to Turkey, the Armenian community of France held a protest action demanding to raise the Armenian Genocide recognition issue in front of the Turkish people. The Chairman of the Committee of France of the Armenian Cause Hrach Varzhapetyan told earlier that their protest action was directed not to the official visit to Turkey, as it was an issue related to the two countries, but the demands are connected with the issues to be voiced by Hollande in Turkey. At the press conference held after the meeting with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gül in Ankara, Hollande stated that “it is necessary to recognize the events of 1915 to provide for reconciliation and consensus” and the “Armenian Genocide denial criminalizing law should be introduced in accordance with the international agreements”.

During the last 22 years this was the first visit of the French President to Turkey.