As we had agreed with the presidential candidates who agreed to reply to the questionnaires of News of Armenia Magazine (CF NAM 238), we republished their answers on armenews.com all week. They are listed in alphabetical order. Tuesday April 18th: Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, François Fillon. Wednesday 19 April: Benoît Hamon Marine Le Pen. Thursday 20 April: Emmanuel Macron Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

News from Armenia Magazine: Since 2012, the genocide of Armenians is commemorated every April 24 by the Republic, with the participation of the President of the Republic and / or a minister. If you are elected, do you intend to continue this tradition? Can you promise that April 24 will be officially considered a national day of commemoration of the Armenian genocide and will be included as such in the Republican calendar?

Marine Le Pen: I will continue to commemorate the genocide of which the Armenian people have been victim since it is the first great crime against humanity of the twentieth century. Moreover, the arrival of many Armenians in France in 1915 was an important event in the history of our country because they contributed greatly to our nation and contributed to its reconstruction after the First World War and were perfectly assimilated. I think, however, that the calendar of the Republic must be limited to the historical events which constitute the collective memory of the French people. It is important to keep alive the memory of the tragedy experienced by the Armenians but this is not part of the official calendar.

News from Armenia Magazine: What is your view on the Armenian community of France, constituted by the survivors of the genocide of 1915? In the face of the denial of the Turkish state, do you understand its fight for the international recognition of genocide and do you think it is fair for France to support it?

Marine Le Pen: I do not really like the term “community”. I am of course sensitive to the personal history of individuals and to the importance they have in their lives, and it seems to me quite normal that people of Armenian descent maintain their common memory and seek to support it. It seems to me important that the genocide of 1915 is widely recognized by all the countries of the world and that Turkey is at last beginning a serious reflection on this terrible page of its history. France must absolutely support the struggle for recognition because of its status as a homeland of human rights and the large number of Armenians who have found refuge there and have successfully integrated themselves.

News from Armenia Magazine: Are you for Turkey’s accession to the European Union?

Marine Le Pen: Very clearly, no. Unlike the other major parties, MEPs of the National Front have always voted against the opening of new accession chapters of Turkey, and we are the only ones to oppose it firmly and unambiguously. On this subject, I am the only candidate to have never changed opinions and to be credible.

News from Armenia Magazine: Do you think that France should continue to maintain a special relationship with Armenia?

Marine Le Pen: Yes, France must continue to maintain specific diplomatic relations according to the particular history it has with the different countries. In the Middle East, it must find a leading role, especially that of protector of the Christians of the East, which it has assumed since Francis I but has neglected too much in recent decades.

News from Armenia Magazine: Are you in favor of France’s recognition of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh?

Marine Le Pen: Of course, the administrative borders of the former USSR have become too fast and without reflection on international borders, but rather than an independence, I believe it would be desirable for Azerbaijan and Armenia to reach a Agreement allowing Nagorno-Karabakh to be attached to Armenia.

News from Armenia Magazine: Would you be for the creation in Paris of an Armenian center of civilization and memory and would you be ready to help in its realization?

Marine Le Pen: I am not opposed to the creation of cultural centers, whatever they are, of course, and it seems to me perfectly legitimate. There are already several Armenian cultural centers in France. Their development is not problematic in itself. On the other hand, it is not, in my view, the responsibility of the State to finance it.

News from Armenia Magazine: What message would you like to address to the 500,000 French of Armenian origin?

Marine Le Pen: I would like to salute these well-assimilated Frenchmen who have contributed so much to our country in very diverse fields, including sectors as varied as culture, research or even politics! They are perfect examples of what I often say: French nationality is inherited or deserved.