Tweet
GERMANY DODGES POPE'S ARMENIAN 'GENOCIDE' CLAIMS
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
April 13 2015
13 April 2015 19:08 (Last updated 13 April 2015 19:10)
Berlin says debate around events of 1915 should be resolved by
historians
BERLIN
The German government on Monday called for historians to ascertain
the facts surrounding the deportation of Armenians during World War I.
Deputy government spokeswoman Christaine Wirtz said Germany would not
intervene in the debate around the events of 1915 after Pope Francis
referred to the deaths of Armenians as "genocide."
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Wirtz said: "This is a
question that the German federal government would not intervene [in].
It is a question that should be dealt with historians and experts."
Turkey and Armenia dispute what happened, with Armenia claiming that
1.5 million were deliberately killed and Turkey saying the deaths
were not genocide but a result of deportations and civil strife.
Wirtz added: "I would not put myself into the position of a referee
and decide which historical assessment is the right one."
The 1915 events took place during World War I when a portion of
the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with the
invading Russians and revolted against the empire.
The Ottoman Empire relocated Armenians in eastern Anatolia following
the revolts and there were Armenian casualties during the relocation
process.
The Turkish government has repeatedly called on historians to study
Ottoman archives to uncover what happened, as the issue continues to
sour relations between Ankara and Yerevan and the Armenian diaspora.
Turkey's official position is that it acknowledges the events were
a great tragedy and that both sides suffered heavy casualties. It
refutes the use of the term "genocide" to describe what happened.
In 2014, the then prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his
condolences for the first time to all Ottoman citizens who lost their
lives in the events of 1915.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/493099--germany-dodges-popes-armenian-genocide-claims
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
April 13 2015
13 April 2015 19:08 (Last updated 13 April 2015 19:10)
Berlin says debate around events of 1915 should be resolved by
historians
BERLIN
The German government on Monday called for historians to ascertain
the facts surrounding the deportation of Armenians during World War I.
Deputy government spokeswoman Christaine Wirtz said Germany would not
intervene in the debate around the events of 1915 after Pope Francis
referred to the deaths of Armenians as "genocide."
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Wirtz said: "This is a
question that the German federal government would not intervene [in].
It is a question that should be dealt with historians and experts."
Turkey and Armenia dispute what happened, with Armenia claiming that
1.5 million were deliberately killed and Turkey saying the deaths
were not genocide but a result of deportations and civil strife.
Wirtz added: "I would not put myself into the position of a referee
and decide which historical assessment is the right one."
The 1915 events took place during World War I when a portion of
the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with the
invading Russians and revolted against the empire.
The Ottoman Empire relocated Armenians in eastern Anatolia following
the revolts and there were Armenian casualties during the relocation
process.
The Turkish government has repeatedly called on historians to study
Ottoman archives to uncover what happened, as the issue continues to
sour relations between Ankara and Yerevan and the Armenian diaspora.
Turkey's official position is that it acknowledges the events were
a great tragedy and that both sides suffered heavy casualties. It
refutes the use of the term "genocide" to describe what happened.
In 2014, the then prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his
condolences for the first time to all Ottoman citizens who lost their
lives in the events of 1915.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/493099--germany-dodges-popes-armenian-genocide-claims