Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide is not a mere negation of “its dark pages”, but rather, a result of official Ankara's long-term policy, Le Monde French newspaper said.

“With denial policy as an integral part of Turkish identity, official Ankara's violations of human rights continue into the present.”

“One of the basics of Turkey's domestic policy, Genocide denial was further adopted as a stance for many Turkish-born Europeans, bringing a disregard for the rights of the descendants of Genocide survivors who fled to France to save themselves from massacres,” the newspaper said, commenting on French Senate's adoption of a bill penalizing Genocide denial.

On January 23, the French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide. If signed into law, the bill will impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.