Sharmazanov: All German Parliamentary Forces Highlight Armenian Genocide Recognition

Vice President of the National Assembly (NA) of the Republic of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov was present at the discussion of the bill on the Armenian Genocide at Germany’s Bundestag submitted by the Alliance 90/The Greens. “Armenpress” reports in an interview with “First Informational” (“ARAJIN LRATVAKAN”) of the Public TV Sharmazanov mentioned that none of the Bundestag factions questioned the fact of the Armenian genocide.

“No one objected in fact, the bill was just withdrawn for amendments. All parliamentary forces of Germany have highlighted the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian genocide”, NA Vice President said, expressing conviction that there will be a bill recognizing the Armenian Genocide till the end of the year.

Based on today’s discussion a decision was made to organize extra discussions of the bill and, in case of possibility, submit it for a vote before April 24.

In 2005, Germany’s parliament adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. However, in the Bundestag’s decision, the term Armenian Genocide was avoided, and instead “massacres of Armenians” was used. In March of 2015, the President of the German Parliament Norbert Lammert said: “what happened in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War in front of the whole world, was genocide. And it was not the last genocide of the 20th century. ”

On April 24, before the Bundestag hearings, Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced that he supports those MPs, who are in favor of calling the mass killings of Armenians “Genocide”. On April 23, during the ceremony in the Berlin Cathedral dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide, German President Joachim Gauck used the term “Genocide” in his speech.