Turkish State Minister and Chief EU negotiator Egemen Bagis said French officials had assured him they would not contribute to adoption of draft bill on bringing criminal charges against Armenian Genocide deniers.

Egemen Bagis stressed that the bill contradicts freedom of speech, writes Turkish Aksam newspaper. He also called representatives of the Armenian Diaspora introducing such bills a “hate traders.”

According to Armenian sources close to the Socialist Party of France, the party has decided officially to use his parliamentary rostrum on May 4 (MPs can submit bills on this day) to submit the issue of ratification of the law penalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide for discussion, adopted by the National Assembly on October 12, 2006.