German President Joachim Gauck has described the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks at the beginning of the 20th century as Genocide.

Speaking at a church service in Berlin, President Gauck said: "The fate of the Armenians stands as exemplary in the history of mass exterminations, ethnic cleansing, deportations and yes, genocide, which marked the 20th century in such a terrible way."

Gauck, added that Germans also bore some responsibility "and in some cases complicity" concerning the "genocide of the Armenians". Germany was an ally of the Ottoman Empire during World War One.

His comments come as the German parliament, the Bundestag, prepares to debate a motion on the Armenian Genocide.