German parliament passes Armenian ‘genocide’ motion
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Lawmakers vote to recognize the Armenian genocide after a debate during the 173rd sitting of the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, in Berlin on June 2, 2016.
The German parliament has approved a resolution recognizing as genocide the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago, in a move which risks damaging ties between Berlin and Ankara.
On Thursday, the lower house of the German legislature, Bundestag, voted overwhelmingly for the motion, which is symbolically significant and has no legal effect.
"With one vote against and one abstention, this resolution has been passed by a remarkable majority of the German Bundestag," said Norbert Lammert, the Bundestag president.
Titled "Remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in 1915 and 1916,” the motion was put forward by the ruling left-right coalition and the opposition Greens.
The resolution uses the word "genocide" in the headline and text. It says Germany – the Ottoman Turks' main military ally at the time - bears some guilt for doing nothing to stop the killings.
It also calls on the German government to "encourage" Turkey to "deal openly with the expulsions and massacres" so as to "lay the necessary foundation stone for reconciliation with the Armenian people."
SS
