Erika Steinbach: Turkey should find approach to shady pages of its history

April 24, 2011 - 15:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Diaspora of Germany commemorated the Armenian Genocide with a liturgy in Paulskirche church of Frankfurt am Main.

In a statement on the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Spokeswoman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group on human rights and humanitarian aid in the Bundestag Erika Steinbach noted that Turkey should find an approach to shady pages of its history. “In almost 100 years after the tragic events, it is time to eventually deal with resolution of problems related to the Armenian Genocide,” dpa quoted Steinbach as saying.

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.