Germany terms 1915 killing of Armenians as genocide
The German president has described the mass killings of Armenians in World War I as genocide, a remark which could trigger outrage in Turkey and lead to a new diplomatic rift between the two countries.
Joachim Gauck, who was addressing a church service in Berlin on Thursday, said that Germans bear some of the responsibility for the massacre of around 1.5 million Armenians as the country was an ally of the Ottoman Empire at the time.
“The fate of the Armenians stands as exemplary in the history of mass exterminations, ethnic cleansing, deportations and yes, genocide, which marked the 20th Century in such a terrible way,” Gauck said, adding that the planned and calculated criminal act targeted Armenians for the sole reason of their ethnic and religious roots.
Turkey fiercely opposes the use of the term “genocide,” saying that the conflict saw many people from both sides killed.
Gauck, whose position as president of Germany is largely ceremonial, made the comments while Germany, like many other countries, will hold ceremonies and marches on Friday to mark the 100th anniversary of the killings.
The remarks also came as German legislators are pushing to debate a motion on the 1915 incident later in the day. The Bundestag’s planned debate has already angered Ankara with Turkish officials warning that it could lead to a diplomatic confrontation between the two countries.
However, the final parliamentary statement is expected to be generally mild in tone as Germany does not want its huge trade partnership with Turkey undermined.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday downplayed the massacre of Armenians, describing claims by Armenia and some other countries as "baseless and groundless."
Ankara has already recalled its ambassadors from Vatican and Austria over comments recognizing the killings as massacre.
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