Turkey slams Dutch government’s recognition of Armenian Genocide

Panorama, Armenia
Feb 26 2021

Turkey on Friday slammed a decision by the Dutch House of Representatives to recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said the decision and calling on the government to recognize the events of 1915 as genocide is 'a null attempt to rewrite history with political motives.' 

To note, the respective motion was passed by the Netherland’s House of Representatives on Thursday, alongside a call for the release of Armenia prisoners captured during the recent conflict with Azerbaijan.

"Councils are not venues to write history and trial it. Those who agree with this decision, instead of looking for what actually happened in 1915, are after votes as a populist," Aksoy said, as quoted by local sources. 

The Turkish official also invited the signatories of the decision to examine the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948 and the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights.

"We invite you to support the efforts for a better understanding of a historical issue," he said, adding that Turkey's proposal for a joint History Commission was one of these efforts. He said the Dutch House of Representatives is detached from reality as it has been frequently in recent years.