Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec.27 / Trend M.Aliyev /
Caucasian Muslims Board Chairman Sheikhulislam Haji Allahshukur Pashazade considers French National Assembly's decision on recognition of the "Armenian genocide"as provocation against the Turkic world, including Azerbaijan, Pashazade's address to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and France's Senate members says, Caucasian Muslims Board's said on Tuesday.
Stirring up a political, sometimes religious radicalism, people commit unpardonable sins and crimes against each other, the address says.
"The most famous commandment concerning Christian postulates, says: "Do not judge, otherwise you will be judged". Unfortunately, the French National Assembly, which is regarded as the centre of European culture, cradle of the world democracy, made rather contradictory and dangerous decision recently. The question is about steps, taken to adopt a bill criminalizing the denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide". We definitely state this decision on which a group of members of the French National Assembly voted for on the Armenian lobby's incitement, is directed not at strengthening peace and justice, but it is a provocation aimed at history falsification and enhancement of hate," the address says.
"The contradiction of this bill first is its anti-democratic essence, aimed against human rights. This bill, aimed against freedom of thought and expression creates the situation of moral diktat. This decision which does not meet justice principles may open the path to more complications and tragedies," Caucasian Muslims Board's address says.
When a real genocide took place in 1992 in Azerbaijani city of Khojaly, France did not raise its voice of protest, the address says.
"Adoption of this decision calls into question the fate of peaceful settlement processes in Caucasus, which are of vital importance. Taking such a decision by the country, which is the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, which was created by the OSCE to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, harms its international authority, deprives us of belief in its fair position," the address says.
MPs from the French President's "Union for Popular Movement" (UMP) party which has the parliamentary majority, proposed the bill which aims at criminalizing denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide" to the legislative committee of the National Assembly in early December.
A bill was sighed by 40 French MPs from UMP and New centre party. It envisages about one year imprisonment and a fine worth 45,000 euros for denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide".
The Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the Turkey - Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against the Armenians living in Anadolu, and achieved recognition of the "Armenian Genocide" by the parliaments of several countries.