German paper analyses country’s position concerning Armenian Genocide

German newspaper Tagesspiegel published an article analyzing Germany’s position on the Armenian Genocide, questioning “why would the term ‘Genocide’ disappear from the coalition’s petition?”

In the article titled “Great coalition does not want to collide with Erdogan”, co-authors Cordula Eubel and Hans Monnat confirm that ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) avoid using the term ‘Genocide’ in the Bundestag.

“Co-chairman of Alliance ’90/The Greens Cem Ozdemir considers the attitude of German coalition towards Turkey and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to be unacceptable.

Right before the Armenian Genocide centennial there is some controversy in Bundestag around holding a proper commemorative service. While the Greens and the Left Party are in favor of recognizing the massacre, which took place from 1915 to 1916, as Genocide, the government and the coalition express some provisos.

Apparently, they are afraid of a conflict with Turkey, which to this day denies the fact of the Genocide,” the columnists write.

The authors provide details concerning the use of the term ‘Genocide’, mentioning that the term disappeared from the coalition’s text.

Rapporteurs Christoph Bergner and Dietmar Nietan from the Union (Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU)) and the Social Democratic Party respectively tend to achieve more than some 10 years ago was done.
The petition will be put to final vote during their next session on April 21, and the term ‘Genocide’ will probably be mentioned in the statement only.

Social democrat Nietan considers this reality to be painful. He thinks that if Germany called the Genocide by its name, it would back the part of the Turkish civil society that makes efforts to face the history.

According to Minister of State for Europe at the Federal Foreign Office Michael Roth, the culture of memory can never be dictated from anywhere. He also thinks that the Federal government makes efforts for the issue of the Armenian Genocide to properly be studied and evaluated.

Ozdemir also reminds of Germany’s complicity in the implementation of the Armenian Genocide. The authors mention that Osdemir along with his fellow party member Ekin Deligoz has recently visited Armenia and stated that April 24 was worth a visit by Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, and not Roth.

He is confident Germany’s change of position will impact positively on the situation in the whole region, thus making Ankara normalize relations with Armenia.

It is noteworthy that the well-known German newspaper Zeit republished this article.