The Armenian Genocide is a fact of history and a proposed French law making it illegal to deny this has nothing to do with forthcoming elections, France's Minister for Europe has said.

"Today all peoples must be lucid and courageous in looking at their history. It has been nearly 100 years since the Armenian Genocide took place, those responsible are dead, it is simply a matter of recognising a fact of history," Jean Leonetti told Radio Classique.

The French parliament is to debate the bill, which would see anyone in France who publicly denies the Genocide facing a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros, on Dec 22 and is expected to approve it.

Turkey has piled pressure on France to drop the law ahead of the vote, with President Abdullah Gul and a Turkish delegation to Paris warning its adoption will spark a diplomatic crisis and have economic consequences.

Turkish officials have accused authorities of backing the bill to win votes with France's Armenian minority, estimated to number between 300,000 and 500,000 people, ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections next year, The Telegraph reported.