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Germany passes bill on Armenian massacre
ISN, Switzerland
June 17 2005
ISN SECURITY WATCH (17/06/05) - Germany's lower house of parliament
on Thursday approved a motion that criticizes Turkey for failing to
recognize the Ottoman Empire's massacre of hundreds of thousands of
Armenians in 1915.
The motion - which was proposed by the opposition and passed
unanimously - prompted an angry response from Turkey.
The German resolution calls on the German government "to ensure that
the Turkish parliament, government, and society reappraise their role
towards the Armenian people in the past and present without prejudice",
news agencies reported.
More than one million Armenians died in massacres, camps, and death
marches through the Syrian Desert during 1915.
"Acknowledging the former injustice would help normalize the
relationship between Armenia and Turkey and stabilize the Caucasus
region," the German resolution read.
Turkey has vehemently and persistently denied that the Ottoman Empire
perpetrated a massacre, saying that the Armenian deaths were not the
result of a planned genocide, but rather the result of an Armenian
rebellion that lead to deadly clashes.
Turkey has warned that the German resolution could have severe
consequences for the two countries' relations. However, Turkey is
depending on German support for its bid to begin EU membership talks in
October this year - a bid whose fate is becoming increasingly uncertain
as many of the bloc's countries are against further enlargement.
"We regret and strongly condemn the resolution," the Turkish Foreign
Ministry said in a statement on Thursday, describing the motion as
"provocative".
"We are proud of our history. Therefore, we cannot stand by while this
issue is being used as a political tool, as free political capital
by lobby groups," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told
reporters at a press conference in Beirut on Thursday.
During a visit to Turkey on 4 May, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder
urged the Armenian government to accept a proposal by Turkey that
scholars from both countries study the genocide claims. Armenians
have rejected that idea.
But the German motion also accepts responsibility for the German
state's role in the Armenian massacre as an ally of the Ottoman Empire
during World War I.
Police in Berlin said that Turkish citizens living in the city were
planning a protest in front of the Armenian Embassy over the weekend,
according to news agencies.
ISN, Switzerland
June 17 2005
ISN SECURITY WATCH (17/06/05) - Germany's lower house of parliament
on Thursday approved a motion that criticizes Turkey for failing to
recognize the Ottoman Empire's massacre of hundreds of thousands of
Armenians in 1915.
The motion - which was proposed by the opposition and passed
unanimously - prompted an angry response from Turkey.
The German resolution calls on the German government "to ensure that
the Turkish parliament, government, and society reappraise their role
towards the Armenian people in the past and present without prejudice",
news agencies reported.
More than one million Armenians died in massacres, camps, and death
marches through the Syrian Desert during 1915.
"Acknowledging the former injustice would help normalize the
relationship between Armenia and Turkey and stabilize the Caucasus
region," the German resolution read.
Turkey has vehemently and persistently denied that the Ottoman Empire
perpetrated a massacre, saying that the Armenian deaths were not the
result of a planned genocide, but rather the result of an Armenian
rebellion that lead to deadly clashes.
Turkey has warned that the German resolution could have severe
consequences for the two countries' relations. However, Turkey is
depending on German support for its bid to begin EU membership talks in
October this year - a bid whose fate is becoming increasingly uncertain
as many of the bloc's countries are against further enlargement.
"We regret and strongly condemn the resolution," the Turkish Foreign
Ministry said in a statement on Thursday, describing the motion as
"provocative".
"We are proud of our history. Therefore, we cannot stand by while this
issue is being used as a political tool, as free political capital
by lobby groups," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told
reporters at a press conference in Beirut on Thursday.
During a visit to Turkey on 4 May, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder
urged the Armenian government to accept a proposal by Turkey that
scholars from both countries study the genocide claims. Armenians
have rejected that idea.
But the German motion also accepts responsibility for the German
state's role in the Armenian massacre as an ally of the Ottoman Empire
during World War I.
Police in Berlin said that Turkish citizens living in the city were
planning a protest in front of the Armenian Embassy over the weekend,
according to news agencies.