From the Mail & Guardian: French Parliament backs Armenian genocide Bill

France’s lower house of Parliament on Thursday backed a Bill that makes it a crime to deny claims that Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks during World War I.

Though the Senate or President Jacques Chirac can still block the Bill, Turkey has made clear the move will badly damage relations with France. Ankara denies the genocide claims.

French politicians have said Turkey must acknowledge the genocide before it can hope to join the EU.

…and French politicians are absolutely correct.

Germany could not move on as a part of the international community until it addressed what it had done. The same applies to Turkey. The genocide, along with the persecution of the Ecumenical Patriarch, the situation in Cyprus, and the lack of religious freedom in Turkey are the top reasons for saying no to Turkey’s entry into the E.U.