After the French parliament backed a bill that would punish those who deny the Armenian Genocide, which has caused a deal of great tension between Turkey and France, Paris stated that it wanted to continue its dialogue with Turkey. The French Foreign Ministry has stated that Paris is willing to carry on the dialogue with Turkey. Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said at a news conference, "We are willing to carry on our dialogue, strong cooperation and friendship with Turkey." Mattei also remarked that the bill was "unnecessary and inappropriate." Also reiterating that a long period of time awaited the bill's passing, he noted he would speak about the steps the government took at each phase of this long process. Catherine Colonna, the minister in charge of European affairs, spoke in the General Assembly hall before the vote on behalf of the government and opposed the bill. Stating that the bill should not be voted on, she said, "As the government, we are against the bill", reports zaman.com