Deutsche Presse-Agentur
February 8, 2005, Tuesday

Armenian genocide returned to German school curriculum

Berlin

Defusing a row after alleged Turkish pressure forced removal of the
Armenian genocide from German public school curriculums, a state
premier said Tuesday the 1915 killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians
would be again be taught in history classes. Brandenburg’s Prime
Minister Matthias Platzeck admitted it had been a mistake to remove
all mention of the genocide from his state’s education ministry
website curriculum planner. The Armenian genocide – which had been
used as the only example in history classes other than the Holocaust
– will now be returned to high schools along with other cases of 20th
century genocide, he said. Platzeck denied media reports that he
ordered removal of the Armenian genocide from his schools after
strong pressure from a Turkish diplomat. “None of that happened,”
said Platzeck. Platzeck made his announcement after a meeting with
Armenia’s ambassador to Germany, Karine Kazinian, who had expressed
deep anger over the move. “The key point is that the genocide and
everything that happened back then is being clearly addressed,” said
Ambassador Kazinian. The row began last month after Turkey’s Consul
in Berlin, Aydin Durusay, raised the issue of Armenian massacres with
regard to Brandenburg which is so far the only one of Germany’s 16
federal states, which described the killings as “genocide” in its
official public school curriculum. Most European and U.S. historians
say up to 1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed by Moslem
Ottoman Turks during World War I and that this was a genocide. Eight
European Union (E.U.) parliaments including France and the
Netherlands – but not Germany – have passed resolutions declaring the
deaths genocide. Turkey, however, firmly rejects the genocide label
and has long insisted far fewer Armenians died or otherwise succumbed
during World War I. More recently it has moderated its tone somewhat
and said the matter should be cleared up by a historical commission.
With about two million resident ethnic Turks, Germany is cautious
about any issue which could disturb ties with its biggest minority.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is a firm supporter of Turkey’s
bid to join the E.U. Platzeck is a rising star in Chancellor’s Social
Democratic Party (SPD) and is tipped by some as a possible successor
to Schroeder. dpa lm ms