Members of the European Parliament take part in a voting session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on March 11. (Photo: Reuters)
Following Pope Francis‘ remarks characterizing the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I as “the first genocide of the 20th century,” the European Parliament is set to vote during its plenary session on Wednesday on a resolution to officially commemorate the centennial anniversary of the “Armenian genocide,” in a move that would be perceived by Turkey as another slap in the face.
European parliamentarians in Brussels will debate the mass killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule in 1915 and then vote on a resolution to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the tragic events.
On Sunday, the pope uttered the word “genocide” to describe the 1915 events during Mass, prompting a strong reaction in Turkey.
Last week Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgiç told reporters that Turkey feels the European Parliament’s decision to vote on the Armenian resolution recognizing the 1915 events as “genocide” is wrong. Bilgiç said, “We are taking the necessary steps,” but did not elaborate.
It is widely expected that the European Parliament will adopt the resolution. The European Parliament’s annual human rights and democracy report last month called on EU member states to legally acknowledge the Armenian “genocide.”
An increasing number of EU members and national parliaments recognize the resolution, which states, “The year 2015 marks the centennial of the Armenian genocide perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire.” It also points out that Turkey and Armenia have embarked on a process of diplomatic normalization by signing protocols in 2009 in Zurich, stressing that “the importance of keeping alive the memories of the past is paramount, since there can be no reconciliation without the truth and remembrance.”
The resolution pays tribute to the “memory of the one-and-a-half million innocent Armenian victims who perished in the Ottoman Empire,” and calls on the European Commission and European Council to join the commemoration. It also condemns all crimes against humanity and genocide and strongly deplores any attempts at denying such crimes.
The European Parliament resolution also asks for the establishment of an “International Remembrance Day for Genocides” and stresses that the timely prevention and effective punishment of genocide and crimes against humanity should be among the main priorities of the international community and the EU.
“Genocide is genocide. It happened. We can understand Turkey is very sensitive. We, as Europe, struggle for human rights, human dignity as part of our priorities. We do not do these things in the name of being against Turkey. We have taken the same approach and applied it to self criticism. This is our history. Thousands of Armenians have been killed and this is part of our human history. There is no benefit to deny the Armenian genocide,” Tajani was quoted as saying.
source: zaman