Erdogan warns Sarkozy against passage of genocide bill.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent a letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, warning him against the what he called the grave consequences of the Armenian Genocide penalization bill.

Citing Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency, Today's Zaman reported that Erdogan had called on Sarkozy to prevent the passage of the bill in question. He said the approval of the bill in the French parliament would result in grave consequences with regards to Turkey's multifaceted relations with France in the fields of politics, economy and culture, adding that France would be responsible for these consequences if the bill is approved.

Noting that the approval of the bill would seriously restrict freedom of expression of those who approach the Armenian issue from a different perspective, Erdogan said such moves would not contribute to efforts to settle the conflict between Turkey and Armenia on the issue through dialogue. “On the contrary, they [such moves] pose as an obstacle before the emergence of the truth,” Erdoğan said.

The French parliament was earlier reported to have scheduled a vote on the pieces of legislation on December 22.

If approved, the bill proposed by Valeri Boyer will make the denial of the Armenian genocide denial punishable for up to one year in prison, imposing a fine of €45,000 on anyone who refuses to acknowledge the historical fact. 

The French National Assembly had passed similar bill in October 2006. But it needed the Senate's approval to be enacted. In May 2011, the Senate voted down the proposal with a vote of 74 in favor and 196 against.