Germany abruptly shifted its policy Monday from a steadfast refusal to use the term “genocide” to describe the massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces 100 years ago.
BERLIN (Reuters)—The German government backed away on Monday from a steadfast refusal to use the term “genocide” to describe the massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces 100 years ago after rebellious members of parliament forced its hand.
In a major reversal in Turkey’s top trading partner in the European Union and home to millions of Turks, Germany joins other nations and institutions including France, the European parliament and Pope Francis in using the term condemned by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said the government would support a resolution in parliament on Friday declaring it an example of genocide.
Germany had long resisted using the term “genocide” even though France and other nations have. But the coalition government came under pressure from parliamentary deputies in their own ranks planning to use the word in a resolution.
“The government backs the draft resolution…in which the fate of the Armenians during World War One serves as an example of the history of mass murders, ethnic cleansings, expulsions and, yes, the genocides during the 20th century,” Seibert said.
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had rejected using the word genocide in an ARD TV interview on Sunday, denying any suggestion it was being avoided to avoid upsetting Turkey.
“Responsibility can’t be reduced to a single term,” he said.
Members of parliament in the conservative Christian Democrats and their Social Democrat (SPD) allies forced the change.
Analysts said that the reluctance until now from Germany, a country that works hard to come to terms with the Holocaust it was responsible for, was due to fears of upsetting Turkey and the 3.5 million Germans of Turkish origin or Turkish nationals living in Germany.
The German government also did not want to use the word due to concerns the Herero massacres committed in 1904 and 1905 by German troops in what is now Namibia could also be called genocide — leading to reparation demands.
“It’s a striking contradiction by the German government that Germany is denying the genocide of Armenians,” said Ayata Bilgin, a political scientist at Berlin’s Free University.
“Research has shown that external pressure on countries can have a considerable influence and Germany could play a very important role in this discussion on Turkey.’
Civilization wines against the beast
*** It is a good day indeed.!!! the triumph of truth & justice over evil.
Domino effect at work. What the Pope started will galvanize those who resisted recognizing
the Armenian Genocide.
This is a game changer. But the unfortunate thing is that the coalition government came under pressure from parliamentary deputies who planned on using the word in a resolution. In other words, they changed their stance only under threat, not under justice or decency. The fact still remains that deals are still cut on self interest. This resolution has absolutely nothing to do with righteousness or crimes against humanity.
Finally!
At last the civilized world is coming to its senses and after 100 years one country after another is acknowledging the bloody brutal events and atrocities committed by then the Ottoman Empire were indeed a well planned and premeditated crime against humanity in general and the Armenian nationals living in the Turkish occupied territories in particular. It is also worth mentioning that other minorities living within the Ottoman Empire i. e. Assyrians, Greeks and Caldians also suffered the same fate as the Armenians.
Thank you Germany for joining the other 22 nations who bring hope to humanity!
One by one. Bravo to Germany.
Angela Merkel
I knew She will do
She will sign her Angelical stamp
Recognizing Armenian deadly Genocide …
This poem i have written about her 2010.
and forwarded to her…
Sweat, Darling Angela Merkel
The Brave Women
Don’t shout, my Dear Female;
Lose not your femininity.
All women
Suffer countless hidden pains.
Is your shouting asking for freedom?
Ask and act less soundfully.
Don’t show your grimacing face,
Abolishing your feminine grace.
Complain not;
You are free!
Be not jealous
Of men’s seeming to be free-er.
Be not too feminine
Like Marilyn Monroe
Whose beauty raped her soul suddenly.
Neither be manly like
Strong-willed Golda Meir,
Nor like Hillary Rodham Clinton
Demanding from millions
To become their first female President
By shouting, “I am ready….”
Real femininity exists in few females,
Such as in Angela Merkel
Who, even in trousers and shoulder-padded jackets,
Acts with femininity.
Her blue-pearly eye
Shine with giving, kindness, beauty …
When wearing manly hats,
She still remains warmly a female,
Praised even by chauvinists’ lips.
Sylva Portoian, MD; MSc:; FRCP.CH; MFPH M, UK
December 20, 2010
“Sweat” Angela darling Markel ? Lol would you take “sweet” instead? She probably did sweat after all, from such a lengthy poem that opens a new Renaissance of an era yet to be seen.
Mi kich khelki ekek khndrumem.
THANK YOU GERMANY! YOUR RECOGNIZING THAT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OCCURRED IS A SIGNIFICANT STEP FOR ARMENIANS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
ANGELA JUST BECAME AN ANGEL!!!! THANX
Better late than never. Thanks Germany.
Now the next step for Germany: take steps to bring awareness and truth to large number of Turkish people living in Germany and use that influence to persuade the Turkish government to accept the responsibility for the genocide against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire. Turkey can show bravery in dealing with the consequences of admitting the crime. It is just the right thing.
GOOD….The Germans long remembered,that their ally jerky turkey,in WW1,were beaten on two fronts,grovelled on their knees,like beggars,joined the Allies All that big talk,they are really COWARDS,of the first order..Only attack,a people or country 70 times smaller–UNARMED,WOMEN,CHILDREN,OLD PEOPLE………NEVER A EQUAL——–COWARDICE….
Thank you Germany. Thank you Chancellor Angela Merkel for trying to support a bill recognizing Armenian Genocide.
Thanks for the post
Thank you Angela, now I know you have big guts, bigger than the USA’s president and Great Britain’s prime minister and Israel’s prime Minister’s combined together.
She is a brave lady …
They dare to bring their ambassadors out of Germany …
XXX
A giant step toward truth and justices. Thank you Chancellor Merkel
Women power! Women Head of States do much better job than male Hof States… Angela is a SMART woman in charge of the most powerful economy in Europe. She knows what she is doing… and Turks who trusts them anyway?! watch the movie “Mediterano” and you will see what Turks do … simplest example.
Through a friend of Armenian ancestry I have learned a bit of Armenian culture and history.
Being German by birth I I was concerned that my country until this week did not recognize the Armenian
genocide years ago. the German coalition government’s recognition on the l00th
anniversary may help to finally bring the Turkish government to admitting the muder of 1.5 million
Armeniians and return their assets.
No matter the political motive of each and every nation, I certainly hope the Armenian Nation and the Armenian Diaspora have the capacity to seize the moment and the momentum. There is a slight crack in the door and we must make haste and walk through before it shuts once again.
To 2015
Edward
Now Germany maybe you can explain the “organizational skills” you taught the uneducated and illiterate Turks to organize and execute the Genocide. Techniques which you yourself later used on the Jews.
Thank You Angel.
The truth must prevail eventually. Germany is the bravest of all nations who admits THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE because of some 3.5 million Turks living in Germany and yes because they paid dearly for their ancestors (who by the way many millions were against what Fascists were doing). Greece must be praised too because they were almost in the same position of Armenians in those dark days with one difference they had their country to escape to, Greece . Armenians were living for 3000 years in these vast area of Anatolia which was taken from them starting even earlier than 1915-1923 and had nowhere to go because they were in their homeland.
Millions of books, publications, documentaries, eye witnesses, survivers, politicians documented the killings as “GENOCIDE” , even Turk leaders were saying “ARMENIA WITHOUT ARMENIANS” and “ALL ARMENIANS MUST BE ELIMINATED FROM SURFACE OF THIS WORLD AND ONLY ONE LEFT AND THAT ONE MUST BE KEPT IN MUSEUM” even their leader said “IT WAS A SHAMEFUL ACT” what else is needed to prove the fact that ” THIS WAS INDEED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”. It is time for other nations to stop the shameful denial as well as realize that even silence means approval of this Genocide and is green light to go for the next ( Genocide )s as we have witnessed happened and even is happening today in this world because of shameful excuses of religion or other differences. GOD IS WATCHING US. Our wounds are still bleeding.
Thank you Germany, Truth shell make you free.
danka germany danka austria what kept you your square heaDS?
Armin Wegner’s soul found peace…
THANK YOU GERMANY TODAY YOU STOOD FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE, YOU CALLED IT GENOCIDE, NOW THE UNITED STATES HAS TO DO THE SAME, WHICH VERY SOON WILL CALL IT GENOCIDE.
Hold your horses. Germany has NOT recognized the genocide. They abstained from voting.
Germany should not only recognize it, but also apologize for it!
America should find a president like Angela if they can …
She is a
brave, beautiful…honest , helping every race…
Sylva
Thank you Angela Merkel and the German Bundestag. When will Israel have the courage to do it too?
At Last !… Finally !… The german policy voice speak European way and not American orders !…
Thank’s Germany !
the only reason why Germany changed its position cos turks started to threatening them .
Իւրաքանջիւր նման բաղդորոշ առիթ մեր հաւաքական ուշադրութեան տակ պէտք է մնայ
օգտուելու անկէ մեզի եկած բարիքներէն: Պէտք է տարրալուծել եւ տեսնել թէ եթէ Գերմանիան եւս մեղսակից է հատուցում պահանջել, դիւանագիտութիւնը զարգացնել, առեւտուրը ընդլայնել, մշակութային մարզկան լծակները օգտագործել:
Այլապէս ուշ կամ կանուխ թուրքիան եւս կ՝ընդունի եթէ տեսնէ մեր գործնական պահանջատիրութիւնը անոր պիտի չհետեւի:
Այս բոլորէն ինչ՞ պիտի ըլլայ մեր շահը:
Thank you to Germany and the leadership of Chancellor Merkel. To create a better world we must face our past demons. History reminds us we have a lot of work to do for a truly humane world.
Angela Merkel!
Madame, you have done so much for your country and now you have done even more for the Armenian cause.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
I lived in Germany back in 1962 (Walldorf near Rhein Maine Air Force Base) and was a witness in Frankfurt when President Kennedy came to speak in front of the huge gathering.
What I saw was the genuine need of the German people to live in peace and harmony after the devastation they were led into by a previous dictator.
Frankfurt always remains in my heart and thoughts and I would have lived there forever if some Armenians had not offered me to move to America, since I knew English pretty well, but quite weak in the German language.
I attended the Goethe institute for a short time and I always remember the German people for their kindness and compassion.
These are hard times for people all over the world and in spite of it all the problems your government is out there forever standing for human rights.
I hope someday to return to your beautiful country with my family and personally thank you for all the things that you stand for.
Sincerely,
Zorro
Germany has no problem to recognize your Genocide. It has a history of beeing human and recognice truth – its own Genocide aggainst Jews for example.
But USA has many Genocides to recognize if they begin with yours. This keep them away from it.
Who will Recognize the Assyrian Genocide???
Awesome. So long as they also accept responsibility for the fact that several German officers directly aiding the Ottoman forces in carrying out the genocide, while most other were bystanders, I’m happy. Some quicky info on this available here: https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/german-connection
now to see how much Germany is willing to release documentation classified from the time and if an apology to having participated to the actual organisation and supervision of the pogroms this will allow further integration of current Germans into a civilized and human rights loving people image and will make bridges towards further cooperations