Russia's Armenians hold breath for Genocide bill debate in FranceDecember 21, 2011 - 17:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The head of the Union of Armenians of Russia issued an address to French Senate speaker Jean Pierre Bel. “Armenian communities worldwide held their breath in expectation of the debate of the bill penalizing the Armenian Genocide denial as a symbol of lawlessness. Survivors of this tragedy hope for France to help repair the injustice,” Ara Abrahamyan said in his message. The French parliament is to debate the bill, which would see anyone in France who publicly denies the Genocide facing a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros, on Dec 22. Turkey has piled pressure on France to drop the law ahead of the vote, with President Abdullah Gul and a Turkish delegation to Paris warning its adoption will spark a diplomatic crisis and have economic consequences. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |