Armenian Genocide Recognised by Germany: Turkey’s Indecent Response Knows no Bounds’
Turkish Banner Makes Reference to Nuremberg to Dismiss Genocide Charge.
Deutsche Welle covers this historic vote,
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and the leader of the Social Democrats, Sigmar Gabriel, failed to attend the vote on account of other appointments. Critics have said, however, that they deliberately attempted to dodge a difficult vote. Chancellor Merkel did, however, announce after the passing of the resolution that the Bundestag decision to designate the Ottoman killings of Christian Armenians as genocide did not detract from Germany’s “amicable and strategic” relationship with Turkey.
Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian praised the decision as “Germany’s valuable contribution not only to the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, but also to the universal fight for the prevention of genocides, crimes against humanity.”
Reactions
Steinmeier told DW that the vote was an “independent decision by the German Bundestag”
“Turkey reacted as expected,” he added. “I hope that in the coming days we will be able to ensure there is not an overreaction.”
Recently elected Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim blamed “the racist Armenian lobby” for the passing of the resolution and announced that he has called Turkey’s Berlin ambassador Hüsein Avni Karslioglu to report in Ankara in response to the vote in the Bundestag. Yildirim claimed that Turkey had nothing in its past that it needed to be ashamed of.
“Ours is a country that prides itself with its past,” Yildirim said and added on Twitter that the resolution was “truly testing Germany’s friendship with Turkey.”
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The co-leader of Germany’s Green party, Cem Özdemir, who has a Turkish background, told reporters that Germany was even involved in the massacres 101 years ago, highlighting that the German Empire at the time provided the Ottoman Empire with the weapons needed to carry out such war crimes. Özdemir added that the German Empire had also sent military consultants, who supported and fought with the Ottomans.
Green Party co-chair Cem Özdemir held an impassionate speech in the Bundestag calling for reconciliation between Turks and Armenians
“They knew exactly what was going on,” Özdemir said. “In this respect we’re guilty of complicity, and have to admit this.”
Armenian representatives welcome the decision.
The report outlines the Turkish reaction,
Meanwhile Burhan Kuzu, a top member of the ruling AK Party, called ethnic Turkish members of the German parliament like Özdemir who voted for the bill “traitors” and added that they “should not set foot” back in Turkey.
The BBC adds this information:
In the latest response:Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim blamed a “racist Armenian lobby” for the resolution
The Guardian continues,
Turkey has recalled its ambassador from Berlin after German MPs approved a motion describing the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces a century ago as genocide – a decision that the Turkish president said would “seriously affect” relations between the two countries.
The five-page paper, co-written by parliamentarians from the Christian Democrats, Social Democrats and Green party, calls for a “commemoration of the genocide of Armenian and other Christian minorities in the years 1915 and 1916”. It passed with support from all the parties in parliament. In a show of hands, there was one abstention and one vote against.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, had voted in favour of the resolution during a test vote at a party meeting on Tuesday, but was absent from the actual vote on Thursday, as were the deputy chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, and the minister for foreign affairs, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Gregor Gysi of the Left party described Merkel’s absence as “not very brave”.
Complementing its reports on the decision, Le Monde reminds us that Christians today face ethnic and religious cleansing and the threat of genocide from Islamists:
Tendance Coatesy 
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