Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan strongly condemns the law on the alleged 1915 genocide of Armenians in Turkey adopted by France, the Foreign Ministry said.

"The Azerbaijani Republic deeply regrets about the law criminalizing the denial of the genocide adopted by the French Senate," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. "The French Senate's unilateral steps, contrary to the principles of democracy, human rights, freedom of speech and expression, can cause serious damage to the participation of this country in regional processes and lead to unpleasant consequences."

Baku said the decision by the French lawmakers, who are turning a blind eye to the violation of the rights of a million Azerbaijanis displaced in the 1990s war in the aftermath of the Armenian aggression and the ongoing occupation of a part of Azerbaijani territory, questions France’s impartiality.

The Foreign Ministry called on France "to review history impartially" and "not to turn such issues into a political game".

Azerbaijani Presidential Administration official Elnur Aslanov told reporters that the French Senate’s decision runs counter to the essence of "republican democracy" in France and is disappointing.

"This law could be considered a result of biased activity of the senators of the [French] ruling party and those under the Armenian lobby’s influence, which cannot be substantiated either legally or morally," Aslanov said.

Ali Ahmadov, executive secretary of the ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party, said France's credibility as a mediator with Armenia over the Nagorno Karabakh dispute had been damaged and it should abandon its role there.

"France has betrayed its mediator mission," he said.

France's upper house approved a bill late on Monday making it illegal to deny that the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I were genocide, sparking ire from Turkey and praise from Armenia.

The Senate passed the bill - which allows for a potential one-year prison sentence and a fine of up to 45,000 euros for those who deny that genocide took place - by a vote of 127 to 86. The bill, passed last month by France's lower house, the National Assembly, must now be signed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy before it can become law.