Turkey said France should “confront its colonial past before giving lessons to others on how to face history,” in an angry response Friday, October 7, to a call by President Nicolas Sarkozy for Ankara to recognize the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

Sarkozy, in Armenia Thursday, challenged Turkey - which is seeking membership of the European Union - to face up to its past and threatened to pass a law in France that would make denying the Genocide a crime.

“Collective negation is a more serious problem than an individual one. Unless Turkey follows the suit of other great nations in recognizing the Armenian Genocide before yearend, France will take serious steps, including criminalization of Genocide denial,” Mr. Sarkozy said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference: "Those who will not be able to face their own history for having carried out colonialism for centuries, for treating foreigners as second-class people, do not have the right to teach Turkey a history lesson or call for Turkey to face its history."

Davutoglu said Turkey and Armenia “were working together on ways to normalize ties and Sarkozy's comments would have a negative impact on reconciliation efforts,” Reuters reports.