The Armenian genocide is once again causing tension between Turkey and France. The French parliament is going to vote on a resolution next week that would penalize the denial of the alleged Armenian genocide. Turkey has "warned" Paris that passing the resolution would damage bilateral relations.

On Tuesday, Ankara issued a statement through the website of the Turkish Embassy in Paris softening the tone of Friday's "warning". Ankara indicated that “French administrators should leave history to historians,” and that the French parliament should refrain from deciding on historical events.

If passed, the French resolution will institute a one-year prison term and a fine of 45,000 euros for anyone who fails to acknowledge as genocide the killing of Armenians in 1915 during the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The French parliament legally termed these events genocide in 2001, but several attempts to penalize denials of the alleged genocide failed before they reached the Senate.