French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged the mutual respect of views between his country and Turkey amid a row over France's criminalization of the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

"I respect the views of our Turkish friends -- it's a great country, a great civilization -- and they must respect ours," Sarkozy said in Prague where he is attending the funeral of late Czech president and revolution icon Vaclav Havel.

"France is not giving lessons to anyone but does not want them either," he said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier accused Paris of committing "genocide" in its former colony Algeria after French lawmakers voted a bill criminalizing the denial of Armenian Genocide by Ottoman-era troops.

"France massacred an estimated 15 percent of the Algerian population starting from 1945. This is genocide," Erdogan told a news conference.

The Turkish premier also accused Sarkozy of "fanning hatred of Muslims and Turks for electoral gains."

"Under all circumstances, we must remain calm," Sarkozy said, adding: "France does not ask for permission, France has its convictions, human rights, and respect for memory," AFP reported.

On Thursday, December 22, France's National Assembly voted the first step towards passing a law that would impose a jail term and a Euro 45 000 fine on anyone in France who denies that the 1915 massacre of Armenians constitutes Genocide.