Nicolas Sarkozy, who was Wednesday night with Manuel Valls the guest of honor at the dinner Crefom (Representative Committee of French Overseas), reaffirmed his support for a law criminalizing denial of the Armenian genocide. In his introductory speech, Patrick Karam, president of Crefom, asked a series of questions to his guests, including one on their position on a possible extension of the Gayssot law in denial of the Armenian genocide and slavery. In his speech, former President of the Republic then grabbed up the ball for recall, with conviction, his positon on the subject.
The voluntary evocation of the principled position of Nicolas Sarkozy on the issue outside the Armenian context, that it was under his mandate had been voted the Boyer Act, which was eventually censured by the Constitutional Council, chaired by the the time by Jean-Louis Debre. This invalidation took place in an extremely tense between France and Turkey climate. The diplomatic situation between the two countries has since normalized, whereas this penalty law promised by the left yet to find a realization, a year before the end of term François Hollande.
Several hundred people attended the second dinner of the French overseas, including many problematics similar to those of the Armenians. Also participating in the evening a wide range of personalities among whom were Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Minister of Education, Mrs Valérie Pécresse, President of the Ile-de-France, as well as co-chairs of CCAF, Mourad Papazian and Ara Toranian.