Istanbul hosts presentation of book on German responsibility in Genocide

December 1, 2015 - 16:14 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Istanbul will host Wednesday, December 2, a presentation of the book “Genocide complicity: Germany’s role in the Armenian Genocide” by German journalist and writer Jurgen Gottschlich, Ermenihaber.am reports citing Demokrat Haber.

The author will read some excerpts from the book to answer the attendee’s questions afterwards.

The volume unveils the story of how Germany – which wanted to establish a strong presence in the East during the WWI – lured Turkey into the war. The German officers who served in the Ottoman army, characterized Armenians as spies and traitors. And when the forced deportations of Armenians turned into genocide, the German government thought it was a “harsh, but productive measure.” According to the author, Germany turned a blind eye to the diplomats and clergy members’ concerns about the atrocities perpetrated against the Armenians.

When writing the book, Gottschlich visited the sites of those events, met with descendants of Genocide survivors, simultaneously studying German and Turkish archives.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.