Just at a time when Europe has the greatest need to collaborate with Turkey to stem the arrival of refugees from the Middle East, a diplomatic forge opens between Berlin and Ankara. The German Parliament yesterday approved a motion that defines the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks a century ago as "genocide". Chancellor Angela Merkel was not present at the vote due to commitments with the head of NATO. Turkey's reaction, however, was not long in coming: Ankara immediately recalled its ambassador to Germany.
The German Parliament has taken a decision that "will seriously compromise relations between the two countries", replied President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who in recent days had already threatened, together with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, consequences in bilateral relations at an economic and military.
Germany's was an "irrational" gesture, according to Yildirim, who had spoken of the vote in the Berlin Parliament as a "real test of friendship" between the two countries, arguing that in any case it is "Germany's problem ”, given that there live “3,5 million voters of Turkish origin” who “contribute 40 billion to the German economy”. Previously, the premier of Ankara had assured that in any case this vote will not call into question the agreement with the EU on migrants.
“There is a lot that binds Germany to Turkey and, even if we have differences of opinion on a single issue, the extent of our connections, our friendship and our strategic ties is too great”, tries to soften the impact the Chancellor Angela Merkel. But for Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus the adoption of the text "is unworthy of the friendly relations between our countries", he says, assuring that Turkey will respond "in an appropriate manner". And Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted: "The way to close dark pages of one's history is not to tarnish the history of other countries with irresponsible and unfounded parliamentary decisions".
Since the end of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish governments have consistently rejected the term "genocide" and questioned the expulsion and killing of 1,5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1916.