Epress.am News from Armenia
Archbishop Aram Ateşyan (Ateshyan), deputy patriarch of the Armenian Patriarchate based in İstanbul, has criticized a recent French move to penalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide, saying Turkey’s Armenians want to solve their problems within the country and that third parties should not interfere, Today’s Zaman reports.
Responding to questions by reporters on Tuesday at the patriarchate building, Ateşyan spoke critical words of the French move.
“We have to address our problems within the country. We are in favor of solving our problems with our [Turkish] state. … Second hands, arms and opinions should not interfere in this issue. This would further cool relations between Armenia and Turkey and freeze them. We cannot get anywhere in this way,” he said.
His remarks come in response to a bill that was approved in France last week and which seeks to penalize denial of the Armenian Genocide (in fact, any genocide) in France. Despite strong protests by Turkey, the French National Assembly — the lower house of parliament — voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bill, which will now be debated next year in the senate. The bill makes denial of the genocide a crime punishable by a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros.
Turkey, in response, cancelled all economic, political and military meetings with its NATO partner France after the French move.
Meanwhile, a group of hackers on Monday brought down the official website of Valerie Boyer, the French Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) deputy who initiated the controversial bill. They replaced the content of the website with text that criticized the passage of the bill as stifling free speech.