Turkey FM scraps Brussels trip due to French Senate vote

(ANKARA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has cancelled a Brussels visit Monday in order to follow the French Senate's vote on a bill criminalising the denial of Armenian genocide, a spokesman said.

"We decided to postpone this trip in order to stay in Turkey, regardless of the outcome of the vote at the French Senate," the ministry spokesman told AFP on Sunday.

French senators will debate the contentious bill to outlaw denial of the Armenian genocide on Monday, despite a furious diplomatic spat with Turkey.

The French lower house approved the law last month, threatening anyone who denies that the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide with jail, drawing a threat of sanctions from Turkey.

Ankara froze political and military ties with France when the bill was passed by the National Assembly, and has threatened further measures if it continues through the Senate or is approved by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Davutoglu was expected to attend the January 23 meeting of EU foreign ministers who will decide on new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear drive and brief them about the substance of his recent trip to Tehran.

The Turkish minister was also supposed to take part in discussions in Brussels on events in Syria as well as on his country's view on the aftermath of the Arab Spring protests.

Instead of this week's meeting, "we will attend the February meeting of EU foreign ministers," said the spokesman.