Threats of Ankara "Force" Bundestag to Recognize the Armenian Genocide

• 05.31.2016, 21:52
•  Europe,  World,  Armenia

DBT/Hartmann

The discussion of the draft resolution entitled "Remembrance and Commemoration of the Genocide of Armenians and Other Christian Minorities 101 Years Ago," is scheduled to begin at 11:10 a.m of local time on June 2 in Bundestag.

It should be noted that many experts highly assess the likelihood of the adoption of this resolution, because in the recent years among some political circles of Germany and the German society in general, the anti-Turkish sentiments have intensified due to Turkey's inadequate behavior of Turkey on the issue of the migration crisis and Turkey's policy, including Erdogan's threat on this occasion. The investigation initiated by Ankara's request against the German comedian who read an '' offensive'' poem about Erdogan added even more fuel to the fire.

On this background, Ankara intensified its rhetoric of threats. Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Numan Kurltulmush declared that parliaments should not be engaged in the politicization of history and the use of historical events for the realization of dark calculations. "No one will take into account the parliaments' views in such matters. I do not think the German parliament will decide to destroy the Turkish-German relations just to please a handful of politicians,"  Kurtulmush said.

It should be noted that Turkey in this regard threatens Germany to cancel the migrant deal reached between the EU and Turkey, for which that Chancellor Angela Merkel have made great efforts. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Belgich said that if the resolution is passed, Turkey and Turks living in Germany will react very seriously to it.

Analysts in this regard note that it is possible that Ankara's threats will have quite the opposite effect. "This position is incredible. An ambassador can dare to warn the German Parliament. Neither the embassy nor the government can threaten our Parliament," the Deputy Chairman of the German Bundestag, member of the "Greens", Claudia Roth said.

"For the first time the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU, CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU, CSU), the center-left Social Democrats and the ''Greens" are aimed at making this resolution an official one," German newspaper Deutsche Welle writes.

It should be recalled that in 2005 the German parliament without any prior discussion, unanimously adopted the resolution "Commemoration Day of Armenians on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of April 24, 1915 massacres: Germany should contribute to reconciliation of Turks and Armenians", but in the document the events of the last century in the Ottoman Empire were not characterized by the term "Genocide."

In March 2015 the chairman of parliament Norbert Lammert said that what happened in the Ottoman Empire was Genocide, and urged other countries to recognize all the mistakes of the past.

On the eve of the hearings in the Bundestag on April 24, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the German government, including Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, took the side of those who are calling to name the massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as ''Genocide''.

On April 23 in Berlin German President Joachim Gauck took part in the liturgy of the Armenian Genocide victims and called the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as ''Genocide''.