Erdogan slams France prior to voting of "genocide" bill

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday made a statement prior to voting of the French bill criminalizing the denial of 1915 killings of Armenians as genocide. In reply to reporters' questions on the issue, Erdogan defined the voting as a debate which is totally against freedom of expression, as well as an investment in elections. Considering tens of thousands of Turkish people who have come together in Paris to raise their objections to the bill, Erdogan said that those people showed that its repercussions will be evident in the future. "This is against human rights and the universal declaration on human rights. It also contradicts with the French-Turkish relationship," Erdogan said. A day prior to Erdogan's remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc rhetorically asked what French officials would do if Erdogan said, "1915 is not genocide," during a visit to France. In reply to a reporter's question about Arinc's remarks, Erdogan hinted that he would avoid visiting France, in case the bill is adopted.