Azernews.Az

Turkey expects Azerbaijan to demand exclusion of France from co-chairmanship in the OSCE Minsk Group brokering settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in response to the recent passage of French legislation criminalizing denial of the alleged World War I-era "genocide" of Armenians, Turkish lawmaker Mustafa Kabakci has said.

Despite strong protests by Turkey, the National Assembly, the lower chamber of French parliament, last week passed a bill which envisions a jail sentence of up to one year and a 45,000 euro fine for those denying that "genocide" of Armenians occurred in Turkey in 1915. The draft law will be debated next year in the Senate, the parliament’s upper chamber.

Azerbaijan, Turkey’s ally, has condemned the National Assembly’s move. 

Kabakci said in a statement that the passage of the "genocide" bill is aimed not only against Turkey but also against Azerbaijan, whose territory is under Armenian occupation and which faced massacres both at the dawn and the end of the 20th century and lost thousands of people during its war with Armenia over Nagorno Karabakh.

Kabakci, a former chairman of Turkey-Azerbaijan inter-parliamentary friendship group, noted that the two countries are fraternal and it is now time "to prove this brotherhood" and take steps complying with these close ties as well as both Turkish and Azerbaijani interests.

"France has always adhered to a pro-Armenian position, but with its latest step, it officially announced that it is not impartial and stands by the Armenian claims and Armenia’s stance. Considering this, France’s further activity as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group is absurd," the Turkish MP said.

The Minsk Group, which is also co-chaired by the United States and Russia, has been mediating peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the two countries signed a cease-fire in 1994 following the Karabakh war. Efforts by the mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

Kabakci said Azerbaijan could recall its ambassador to France for consultations to show how sensitive it deems the issue.

"Also, Azerbaijan could deliver a message that its economic relations with France may be revisited," he said.

Kabakci added that these are steps expected from Azerbaijan "more by the Turkish public rather than us, politicians".