German Parliament Recognizes Armenian Massacre in Turkey as ‘Genocide’
The Bundestag, the German parliament, passed a resolution recognizing the massacre of Armenians a century ago in Ottoman Turkey as “genocide.”
Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, was not present during the vote in parliament, although the ruling coalition of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats supported the resolution. The Green Party, a member of the ruling coalition, prepared the draft of this resolution.
In European Union negotiations with Turkey over refugees, Germany plays a pivotal role, and Turkey has warned that designating the Armenian massacre as genocide could damage relations between Germany and Turkey.
In response to the Bundestag resolution, the country recalled its ambassador from Germany. Meanwhile, Angela Merkel stated that Germany has extensive and strong relations with Turkey.
Armenians say that in 1915, 1.5 million Armenians living in present-day Turkey were killed as a result of actions by the Ottoman imperial army.
Turkey disputes the stated figure and denies the existence of an organized campaign to ethnically cleanse the Armenian minority. In Turkish official literature, the incidents from a century ago with Armenians are referred to as deportation and exile.
Turkey also emphasizes that many Turks also lost their lives during the crises at the time of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
Binali Yildirim, the Turkish Prime Minister, called the passage of the resolution “illogical,” and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President, had previously warned Angela Merkel in a phone call that if Germany “engages in such games,” relations between the two countries would be damaged.
In both the title and the text of the resolution passed by the German parliament, the term genocide is used, and in it Germany has acknowledged that through its alliance with the Ottoman Empire in World War I and its inaction to prevent the massacre of Armenians, it bears some responsibility in this regard.
Yasin Aktay, a spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey, said that today’s vote in the German parliament has seriously damaged relations between the two countries.
Given ongoing issues regarding refugees, relations between Germany and Turkey are important.
In response to the refugee crisis, Germany has accepted more refugees than any other European country and resettled 1.1 million people last year. European Union countries seek to control and limit refugees.
Turkey has agreed that refugees who reach Greek islands will be returned to Turkey and resettled there. In return, the European Union has promised that Turkish citizens will be able to travel to EU countries without needing to obtain a visa.
Source: BBC
