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German parliament calls for Turkey to re-examine Armenian killings

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  • German parliament calls for Turkey to re-examine Armenian killings

    German parliament calls for Turkey to re-examine Armenian killings

    AP Worldstream; Jun 16, 2005

    Germany's parliament on Thursday urged Turkey to examine its role in
    the killing of an estimated 1 million ethnic Armenians a century ago,
    an issue that could weigh on Ankara's hopes of joining the European
    Union.

    Lawmakers adopted a cross-party resolution asking the Berlin government
    to press Turkey to investigate the "organized expulsion and destruction
    of the Armenians" and foster reconciliation.

    "The motion is passed with votes from the whole house," parliamentary
    vice president Antje Vollmer announced after a show of hands in the
    lower house.

    Armenia accuses Turkey of genocide in the killings as part of a 1915-23
    campaign to force Armenians out of eastern Anatolia. At the time,
    Armenia was part of the Ottoman Empire.

    Turkey remains extremely sensitive to the issue. It denies that the
    killings were genocide and says the death count is inflated and that
    Armenians were killed or displaced along with others as the Ottoman
    Empire tried to quell civil unrest.

    In its motion, the German parliament said it was "convinced an honest
    historical review is needed and represents the most important basis
    for reconciliation."

    "This is particularly true in the framework of a European culture
    of remembrance which includes openly debating the dark side of each
    nation's history," it said.

    The motion didn't mention Turkey's bid to join the EU, but said the
    Armenian issue was an example of how Turkey needs to guarantee freedom
    of speech _ an area where Ankara has been told it must improve if it
    is to join the 25-nation bloc.

    German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has been one of Turkey's strongest
    backers in its membership bid, but the conservative opposition _
    which hopes to win elections later this year _ argues that it should
    be offered a lesser "privileged partnership."

  • #2
    Turkey condemns German resolution on Armenian Genocide



    Jun 16, 2005, 18:55 GMT


    Ankara, 16 June: Turkey has strongly condemned approval of a resolution envisaging commemoration of so-called Armenian genocide by the German parliament.

    Releasing a statement, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Thursday [16 June]: "The German parliament adopted a resolution about the events of 1915. We regret and strongly condemn it. Turkey explained its views to German authorities on numerous occasions. We pointed out to unilateral content of the decision, serious mistakes in the text, and lack of information. We stressed that approval of such a decision by Germany which we always considered one of our friendly and allied countries, will play havoc with our relations."

    "However, we regret to see that the German government did not take into consideration all our warnings. It is evident that the initiative stemmed from domestic political purposes. Use of such a sensitive issue for political purposes is nothing but irresponsibility and narrow-mindedness. The decision includes totally baseless allegations that almost all Armenians in Anatolia were destroyed. The decision recommending the German government to include 'relocation and destruction of Armenians' in state education policies, includes extremely dangerous and provocative proposals that could led enmity among German young people against Turks," it emphasized.

    The MFA kept on saying: "Turkey advocates that historical events should be discussed by historians and scientists instead of politicians and parliaments. Therefore, we have opened our archives to all researchers including Germans and Armenians. Also, Turkey proposed Armenia to set up a joint commission to examine Turkish-Armenian relations during the era of the Ottoman Empire."

    "Turkey is in reconciliation with its past. Turkey does not need decisions of foreign parliaments to deal with any part of its history. If the German parliaments needs to reconcile with its own history, it should handle it under its own historical responsibilities instead of putting forward such baseless allegations against Turkey," the MFA added.

    Earlier in the day, the German parliament unanimously adopted a resolution envisaging commemoration of so-called Armenian genocide.

    The resolution was brought onto the parliamentary agenda by [opposition] CDU/CSU [Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union].

    Source: Anatolia news agency, Ankara, in English 1535 gmt 16 Jun 05

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