Genocide Bill Will Be Unforgettable Shame on France, Ankara Said

PanARMENIAN.Net - The French Parliament has shown that it is in pursuit of simple policies and France has ruined all its historical prestige for the sake of votes, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters on Thursday afternoon. Turkish government and NGOs have continued to protest the highly controversial French bill on the Armenian Genocide, which was passed in the French Parliament on Thursday. FM Abdullah Gul criticized the adoption of the bill penalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide. "This will be an unforgettable shame on France. From now on, France will never be able to describe itself as a country of freedoms". Gul underlined that the bill struck a heavy blow on Turkish-French relations and seriously damaged the credibility of France as a European Union (EU) member which defends freedom of expression. Gul also assured that Turkey took this as a national issue. "Certainly our reaction both at the official and public level will be very big," Gul said implying possible boycotts on French products, Cihan News Agency reports.