Passing of this unfair document, which contradicts the history, testifies that separate political circles and ethnic lobbyists, who serve the interests of the Armenian ultra-nationalists, are ready even to trample on the state interests of France in order to reach their goals.

The fact that the lower chamber of the French Parliament has passed the bill, is a manifestation of double standard approach, disrespect for democratic principles, human rights and freedoms, and freedom of speech and expression in particular.

Passing by the Parliament of the third country of a political verdict related to the events, occurred some 90 years ago, is considered as a wrong step, which can worsen the situation in the South Caucasus.

It is over a century that the Turkic people have suffered from physical and moral terror of Armenian ultra-nationalists, their policy of occupation and genocide.

To justify their territorial claims against neighboring nations and the policy of ethnic cleansing chosen as a tool for doing this, the Armenian ultra-nationalists attempt to refer to allegations on the so-called genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

However, historians and researchers, including the European scholars devoted to scientific reality, proved long ago that there has never been the Armenian genocide in history.

The far-fetched Armenian genocide is a product of a morbid imagination, and it is based on forged papers.

Recently, Turkey has opened its archives covering the Ottoman period, and everyone, including the Armenian scholars and politicians, were invited to familiarize with the historical documents of the early twentieth century.

However, the Armenian side rejected the healthy scientific polemics, thereby disclosing their true essence.

In fact, since the late nineteenth century, under secret and obvious patronage of the tsarist Russia, the Armenian ultra-nationalists committed massive terror acts and slaughter in the territory of the present Turkish Republic and in South Caucasus, brutally killing hundreds of innocent Turks and Azerbaijanis, destroying countless settlements, as well as ancient monuments of culture and graveyards in attempt to obliterate all signs of Turks in these territories.

The innocent people were brutally killed in Iravan and Zangazur (territory of present Republic of Armenia), in Tbilisi, in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, in the Azerbaijani provinces of Nakhchivan, Ganja, Shamakhi, Guba, Lankaran, Karabakh, Mugan and others in 1905-1907 and 1918-1920; as well as in the Eastern Anatolia including Erzurum, Kars, Erdahan, Adana, during the WW I.

In late March of 1918 in Baku alone, over 30,000 Azerbaijanis fell victims of genocide.

Not only the Azerbaijanis, but also about 3,000 Jews were brutally killed by the Armenian gangsters during the bloody events in Ganja, Oguz, Guba and other provinces of Azerbaijan in 1918.

As a result of impunity of genocide crimes committed by Armenian chauvinists and lack of political and legal appraisal of these crimes, the hostile policy was carried out against our nation in the soviet period as well.

With the help of the USSR leaders, the ruling circles of Armenia SSR managed to deport and oust about half million of Azerbaijanis from territory of Armenia in 1948-1953s.

Hundreds of Azerbaijanis were killed for ethnic belonging as a result of these violent acts.

The National Assembly of France should know that as a result of occupation war and policy of ethnic cleansing unleashed in 1988 to annex the Nagorno-Karabakh, an integral part of the Azerbaijan Republic, to Armenia, 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory was occupied, over 1million Azerbaijanis were ousted from their homelands, over 18,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, over 20,000 innocent people were injured, over 50,000 people became disabled, over 4,000 people were missing and taken prisoners, as well as 877 cities, towns and settlements were plundered, destroyed and burnt.

During the war, the Armenian ultra-nationalists committed monstrous crimes of genocide against the Azerbaijani population.

Residents of fifteen Azerbaijani villages in Nagorno-Karabakh were brutally killed according to the prearranged plan.

On the night 25-26 February 1992, armed forces of the Armenian Republic and Armenian terrorist units in Nagorno-Karabakh, with the help of the regiment #366 of the former Soviet Army, mainly composed of the Armenians, assailed Khojali province resided by the Azerbaijanis, committing monstrous act of genocide, ranking among the most terrible tragedies in history.

Without any military necessity, Khojali was completely burnt and destroyed, 613 innocent Azerbaijani residents, including 63 children and 106 women, were brutally killed, 487 people became disabled, 1,275 residents including the old people, children and women were taken hostages and unimaginably abused, tortured and humiliated.

Those who attempted to flee were killed with special cruelty by the Armenian militants attacking from ambushes along roads, and in forests.

The Armenians scalped the dead, cut parts of their bodies, put out eyes of the infants, disemboweled the pregnant women, buried people alive, or burned them.

Character and scales of bloody crimes committed in Khojali and other settlements resided by the Azerbaijanis, confirm that these acts of genocide completely conform to the definition stated in the UN General Assembly Convention #260 (III) “On prevention and punishment of the crimes of genocide” adopted December 9, 1948. These prearranged and brutal acts of massacre were committed to exterminate the people living in this territory only because they are the Azerbaijanis.

Residents of other occupied towns and villages of Azerbaijan managed to escape the genocide, only thanks to the fact that they have left their homelands before the Armenian armed units occupied them.

It is over fifteen years that Azerbaijan has been a target of the Armenian terrorism. Armenian terrorist organizations have committed 32 acts of terrorism against Azerbaijan since the beginning of Armenia’s aggression against the country. These terrorist acts killed over two thousand and wounded tens of thousands of Azerbaijani people.

31st of March is marked in Azerbaijan as a Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis to pay tribute to the innocent people who fell victims of the atrocities committed by Armenian ultra-nationalists against Azerbaijanis for over hundred years.

The Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Republic has repeatedly adopted special statements and addresses on this matter asking international organizations, parliaments and governments to recognize the genocide committed by Armenian nationalists and their masterminds against Azerbaijanis in 19-20th centuries, to complete, as soon as possible, the work to create effective mechanism of international law in order to prevent impunity for similar crimes in the future and to contribute to fair and peaceful resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and thereby prevent new cases of genocide against Azerbaijanis.

Passing by the French National Assembly of this obviously unfair bill in such a situation is quite surprising.

As we can see, the fact that the lower chamber of the French Parliament agrees with the claims and fantasies of Armenian ultra-nationalists, who turn a blind eye to the aggressive war they unleashed, as well as genocide, terror and ethnic cleansing policy they carried out against Azerbaijanis, testify their pro-Armenian-biased position.

It is not surprising that the Republic of Armenia, which claims its adherence to peace, stability and mutual understanding in the region, in reality roughly violates international law standards and OSCE fundamental principles.

Armenian ultra-nationalists’ territorial claims against neighboring states force them to seek enemies abroad. This is why, passing by the French parliament of the bill, which justifies this destructive position of Armenian ultra-nationalists and may whip up tension in the South Caucasus, raises concern and indignation.

In spite of the facts that substantial part of its territory is under occupation, and every eighth of its citizens is a refugee living under severe conditions in a camp, the Republic of Azerbaijan remains adherent to the peaceful elimination of the consequences of the Armenian aggression committed by the Republic of Armenia.

The OSCE Minsk group is known to mediate the talks to find a peaceful solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The French Republic is one of the co-chairs of this group.

In the issue of finding a fair solution to the conflict on the internationally recognized legal norms, including territorial integrity of states, we pin great hopes on objective and unbiased stance of the co-chairs, their balanced approach.

Whereas, we expect from France effective measures to further peaceful negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the country’s legislative body, having yielded to false propaganda of Armenian chauvinists, passes the bill based on what has nothing to do with historical truth.

Not only the step taken by the French National Assembly force us to cast doubt on its objectiveness, but it also drives the French diplomacy taking efforts towards establishment of peace and stability in the South Caucasus, into a ticklish situation.

Expressing indignation at the recognition - this time, in the form of an antidemocratic bill - by the French parliament of the lie about the so-called “Armenian genocide”, which the Armenian ultra-nationalist groups and their patrons have turned into means of propaganda to reach their dirty political intentions, the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan states it cannot accept the injustice standing behind this notorious act hampering the efforts towards establishment of peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

On behalf of the Azerbaijani people, the Parliament of Azerbaijan hereby expresses a resolute protest against passing by the French National Assembly of the unjust bill, and hopes that the French Senate will undertake effective measures to prevent it from coming into force.

Adopted at the session of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan

October 13, 2006