Friday, September 2 2016 12:20

ArmInfo. The German  government is going to make a "political gesture" towards Ankara,  distancing itself from the Bundestag's resolution that describes the  mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide,  Spiegel-online reports, citing its own sources.    

According to Spiegel-online, the German Foreign Office and the German  Federal Chancellery agreed that Steffen Seibert, German Government  Spokesperson, will make a statement for media, saying that the  resolution "is not binding for the government", but it is "a  political statement of Bundestag with no legal significance".   

Berlin expects that instead Turkey will let the German lawmakers into  Incirlik airbase.   

To note, on June 22 German media outlets reported that Turkey did not  let the German delegation into the territory of Incirlik base due to  the Bundestag's June 2 resolution on the Armenian Genocide in the  Ottoman Empire.      

Turkish Foreign Minster Mevlut Cavusoglu, in turn, said that the  Ankara government would allow a German delegation to visit the  Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey "if Germany takes the necessary  steps." Cavusoglu added that those who try to "manipulate" Turkish  history "in an unfair manner," would not receive permission to visit  the facility, where German troops, six German surveillance jets, and  a refueling tanker are part of the US-led coalition fighting "Islamic  State" (IS) militants.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier responded to his  Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu's statement.  According to  Deutsche Welle, Steinmeier threatened to quit Bundeswehr's  participation in the anti-ISIS international fight in Turkey if  Ankara keeps hampering the German lawmakers' visits to the Incirlik  airbase.  

To note, German Bundestag adopted on June 2 the resolution on  Armenian Genocide by a vast majority of votes. Only one  parliamentarian voted against and another abstained from voting. The  resolution recognizes not only the fact of Armenian Genocide in the  Ottoman Empire in the beginning of the 20th century but also  Germany's responsibility for these events. The ambassadors of Armenia  and Turkey were present at the hearings in Bundestag. However  Chancellor Angela Merkel, Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel and Foreign  Minister Frank- Walter Steinmeier were not present at the hearings.   Deputy Government Spokesperson Christiane Wirtz stated that Merkel  supports the resolution. Turkey, in its turn, has warned Berlin on  the level of first ranking officials against the possible negative  consequences for the Turkish-German relations in case the resolution  was adopted. Ankara recalled its Ambassador to Germany Avni  Karslioglu following the adoption of the resolution.