German parliament calls Armenian massacre in Türkiye 'genocide'
The Bundestag, the German parliament, has passed a resolution declaring the massacre of Armenians in Ottoman Türkiye a century ago to be "genocide."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was not present in parliament for the vote, although the ruling coalition of the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats supported the resolution. The Green Party, a member of the ruling coalition, prepared the draft resolution.
Germany plays a central role in the EU's negotiations with Turkey on refugees, and Türkiye has warned that considering the Armenian massacres as genocide could damage relations between Germany and Türkiye.
The country has recalled its ambassador from Germany in response to the Bundestag resolution. At the same time, Angela Merkel has said that Germany has broad and strong relations with Türkiye.
Armenians say that in 1915, 1.5 million Armenians living in present-day Türkiye were killed and lost their lives as a result of the actions of the Ottoman Empire's army.
Turkey considers the figure inaccurate and denies the existence of an organized movement to ethnically cleanse the Armenian minority. In official Turkish literature, the century-old treatment of Armenians is referred to as expulsion and deportation.
Türkiye also emphasizes that many Turks also lost their lives in the crises surrounding the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkish Prime Minister Yeni Yildirim has said that the adoption of the working resolution is "illogical", and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously warned Angela Merkel in a phone call that relations between the two countries would be damaged if Germany "falls into such games".
The title and text of the resolution passed by the German House of Representatives use the term genocide, and in it, Germany admits that it is partly to blame for the massacre of Armenians due to its alliance with the Ottoman Empire in World War I and its failure to act to prevent it.
Yasin Aktay, a spokesman for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, said today's vote by the German parliament has seriously damaged relations between the two countries.
Given the current refugee issues, German-Turkish relations are important.
In response to the refugee crisis, Germany has accepted more refugees than any other European country, resettling 1.1 million last year. EU countries want to control and limit the number of refugees.
Turkey has agreed to return and resettle refugees who reach the Greek islands, in return for which the European Union has promised that Turkish citizens will be able to travel to EU countries without a visa.
Source: BBC
