PARIS. – Member of Europe-Ecology-Greens (EELV) party, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Droma, Deputy Mayor of Valence Patrick Royannez gave an interview to Nouvelles d’Arménie. Majority of Senators from his party group signed for the appeal to the Constitution Council on criminalizing denial of genocides.

In response to what his reaction is for the EELV Senators, he said that they have been struggling since 2008 to adopt a law on criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide. Holocaust or the Armenian Genocide is the same. Why President of the Constitutional Council Robert Badinter sees difference between these two genocides? The law should be fair for everybody. And the law should criminalize the denial without difference.

EELV Senators have other viewpoint on the bill and their appeal surprised Royannez who condemns this position on such a serious topic as the Armenia Genocide.

As for whether he would like that his party co-members voted unanimously for the bill, he said it is difficult to come to a single disposition as everyone has an individual approach on laws regulating history. However, the law on criminalizing denial of the Genocide is more than simply necessity. It is the right of French citizens of Armenian descent to feel protected by the state against those foreign states which deny it.

As for Turkey, it will grow if reviews its history and recognizes the Genocide, perpetrated in 1915-1923s, he said. By recognizing Nazi crime, Germany grew, let Turkey follow its example.