Daily Star – Lebanon, Lebanon
June 17 2005
Ankara blasts German calls to re-examine massacres
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Friday, June 17, 2005
Turkey strongly condemned a German Parliament resolution marking the
killings of Armenians during World War I and warned that the move
would have consequences for bilateral ties between the two allies.
“We regret and strongly condemn the resolution,” the Turkish Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.
“We are saddened to see the German Parliament fail to listen to
Turkey’s warnings that the resolution would deeply hurt the Turkish
people and have a negative impact on bilateral ties,” it added.
The resolution passed by the Bundestag Lower House earlier in the day
marked the massacres of Armenians by Turks in the early 20th century
but stopped short of condemning it as genocide.
The Turkish statement argued domestic political concerns played a
part in the resolution and charged that it was “irresponsible and
narrow-minded to use such a sensitive subject for petty political
calculations.”
Earlier, a diplomat from the German Embassy in the Turkish capital
was summoned to the Foreign Ministry.
The German resolution didn’t mention Turkey’s bid to join the European
Union, but said the Armenian issue was an example of how Turkey needs
to guarantee freedom of speech.
It proposed the establishment of a commission of Turkish, Armenian
and international historians to examine the killings. It complained
that Turkish authorities were stifling debate at home.
The motion also condemned the German government of the time for failing
to try to stop the killings despite “many pieces of information about
the organized expulsion and extermination of Armenians.”
Germany was an ally of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, when
the massacres took place.
“The German Parliament is well aware from its own experience how
hard it is for all peoples to deal with the dark side of their past,”
the resolution said in a reference to Germany’s own Nazi regime and
its murder of millions of Jews.
“It is convinced, however, that an honest appraisal of history is
necessary and the most important basis for reconciliation,” it said.
Around two million Turks live in Germany. A Berlin police spokesman
said a protest was planned in front of the Armenian Embassy in Berlin
on Saturday, but denied a member of Parliament’s claim that up to
50,000 Turks could take part. –