Turkey was outraged when a French parliamentary bill formally accused Ottoman Turks of genocide, saying that 1.5 million Armenians had been systematically massacred. Ankara recalled its Paris ambassador as part of its response, but now Sonmez Koksal has returned to France after four months. In January, Turkey said it was reviewing economic and political ties with France. It later cancelled hundreds of millions of dollars worth of contracts with several French companies. Armenians say 1.5 million of their people were killed as part of the Ottoman Empire's campaign to force them out of eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1923.
Turkey denies any part in genocide and says the death count is inflated.
It argues that Armenians were killed or displaced as the Ottoman Empire tried to quell civil unrest. The Ottoman Empire became Turkey in 1923. France's National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, officially recognised the Turkish slaughter of the Armenians as an act of genocide in May, 1998. But the French government and presidency opposed the vote, fearing it would upset Turkey. The U.S. House shelved a similar resolution last year after U.S. President Bill Clinton warned that it could seriously damage ties with Turkey.