Speaking to press bureau chiefs in Ankara on January 25, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey said that Turkey must deal with the ghosts of the past if it wants to become one of the world’s top 10 economies by 2023.

Ambassador Francis Ricciardone told the Turkish press representatives that every great nation has proud and painful pages in its past.

The U.S. official made the remarks just days after the French Senate approved a bill criminalizing genocide denial, according to Hurriyet Daily.

“We like to see our friends get along and we hope that you will overcome this dispute,” Ricciardone said without commenting on the nature of the French legislation. “There needs to be a conversation. You need to get the historians together on both sides. I’ve been glad to see since I’ve come back to Turkey this past year that there is much more public conversation and debate. It’s no longer a closed box,” Ricciardone said, while avoiding to directly commenting on the French Senate bill.

Instead, he reiterated Washington’s objective of launching a new dialogue process between Turks and Armenians.