Passage of the bill penalizing the Armenian Genocide denial by French Senate triggered Azeri calls for expulsion of France as OSCE Minsk Group co-chair.
“OSCE MG, represented by 11 countries, including Turkey and Germany, must discuss expulsion of France as Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement mediator,” an Azeri parliamentarian said.
“Azerbaijan, in turn, must campaign for admission of a neutral country as an MG co-chair, seeing as France can no longer be considered unbiased,” Furad Muradov told Interfax-Azerbaijan.
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.
Turkey reacted furiously last week when the Senate approved the law, which threatens with jail anyone in France who denies that the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to Genocide. Ankara has already halted political and military cooperation with France and was threatening to cut off economic and cultural ties if the law took effect.
