Translated material
German Bundestag went against Erdogan
Having recognized the Armenian genocide in 1915, German parliamentarians defended the honor of European democracy from the Turkish authorities
Only on the third attempt, the German parliament finally recognized the mass deportations and murder of the Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 by genocide.
The first time the ruling coalition of the CDS/CSS and SDPG intended to introduce a joint draft of the Armenian Armenians in the Bundestag in April last year, just on the 100th anniversary of the tragic event. However, the President of Germany Joachim Gauk, ahead of the course of events, in his speech in the memorial church service in the Berlin Cathedral, he called the actions of the then Turkish authorities a crime against the Armenian people, which immediately caused an ankara stormy protest.
The department of the federal chancellor decided not to spoil relations with Turkey and recommended that the parliamentary discussion of the draft resolution until better times. The deputies listened to the Council.
The second time, in February 2016, the initiative to conduct debate and name the genocide by the genocide was taken by the faction of the Opposition Party of the Green. And again, from the administration, Angel Merkel received a wish to take into account the complex situation and not to tease the geese: in full swing, the European Union was preparing the Migration Crisis resolution of the migration crisis.
The agreement, the engine of which the German Chancellor performed in the EU, caused an ambiguous reaction even in the ranks of influential functionaries of Christian democrats, who called it a transaction for the sale of European values in exchange for Turkish control of the Middle Eastern refugees. Exactly in support of such an assessment of Ankara, using the concessions of Brussels and Berlin, strengthened repressive measures to defeat the internal opposition and turn off freedom of speech, as the last obstacles to the creation of the Erdogan authoritarian power system.
Moreover, the Turkish authorities moved to open pressure on Europeans, not only criticizing their liberalism, but began to dictate their rules of behavior to Western diplomats and what was allowed to inform the European media about the Presidential personality and situation in the country.
This is the most convex to Germany. So, the Federal Republic of Germany ambassadors in the last six months has repeatedly called to the Turkish Foreign Ministry to the carpet for explanations for various reasons: either the Turks did not like the illustrations on the genocide in the teaching aid for German teachers, the television showed the “wrong” clip of the song about Erdogan, and the Apotheosis was an acute poetic epigram on the Turkish president of the satirist and TV presenter Yana Bömermann, whom Ankara demanded to be prosecuted. In addition, there were also deprivations of German journalists of Turkish accreditation, official protests against various allegedly anti -Turkish events in Germany, in particular, a concert of a symphonic orchestra in Dresden on the next anniversary of the massacre of Armenians.
German politicians, deputies and the public were publicly outraged by the unceremonious attempts of the Turks to change their worldview, the principles of state structure and ethical norms of public life laid down in the Constitution, but this was not further followed. The cup of patience overwhelmed frank blackmail from Erdogan, when he threatened to denounce the migrant agreement if the European Union still insist on fulfilling the main condition for the abolition of visa-free regime, namely: to mitigate the anti-terrorist law that allows not only to fight armed groups of the Kurds, but also to put the unworthy oppositionists in the bars, but also to plant a bars. Journalists and ordinary citizens.
On this occasion, the general mood of the German ruling elite was well conveyed by the phrase of the Prime Minister of Bavaria and the chairman of the CSS of Horst Zeehover that you can’t follow and cooperate with the odious authoritarian rulers. And even Merkel, who stubbornly defended, in spite of everything, the need for an agreement with Ankara on the migration crisis, after meeting with Erdogan in Istanbul in the fields of the UN conference on refugee issues, was forced to openly express their doubts in the imminent provision of Turkey of a visa -free regime.
As a sobering influence on the Turkish authorities, Berlin decided to apply a twice deferred measure - to admit the guilt of the Ottoman Empire in the Armenian genocide. It is quite a strong remedy, taking into account the fact that Germany for Turkey has not only great economic and foreign political significance - both countries are also closely connected by inter -human communication: more than 3.5 million ethnic Turks lives on German land, and among them there are famous politicians, for example, the co -chairman of the Green Ozemir, members of the cabinet, deputies of different levels, journalists, artists, writers and writers and writers and writers and writers and writers and writers and writers, writers and writers, writers and writers, writers and writers, writers and writers, writers and writers. Artists.
As soon as the Bundestag fractions agreed on the date of the meeting on the Armenian issue, Ankara, scoring an alarm, launched all the methods of counteracting: Erdogan personally called Merkel and scared the coolation of relations again, from the Turkish diaspora in Germany, the sending of letters to all German parliamentarians with the consequences for the erroneous position was organized from the Turkish. The Brandenburg Gate twice were held protests. Against Jem Ozdemir, ardent fans of the Turkish leader launched a massive persecution campaign on the Internet, calling for a traitor and threatening physical reprisals.
It did not help. All German parliamentarians are unanimously, with the exception of two votes (one against and one abstained), recognized the historical fact of the genocide of the Armenian people, emphasizing that their decision is not a judicial verdict and should serve as the basis for rethinking the historical tragedy so that modern Turks could learn the lessons from the past and establish a dialogue for reconciliation with the Armenians. Also in the Bundestag resolution, the unsightly role of Kaiser Germany was mentioned, the authorities and the military of which, knowing the preparatory action of the genocide, did nothing to prevent it.
It is interesting that the main characters in German politics-the Chancellor itself, the vice-chancellor and the Minister of Foreign Affairs-were not present at the historical meeting of the Bundestag, citing urgent state affairs. And if the Steinmeier, according to his fundamental beliefs of the diplomat, avoiding categorical assessments of the past, last year did not agree that the parliament call the 1915 events with genocide, then Merkel and Gabriel were guided, most likely, the principle of RealPolitik: today's enemy may become an ally and friend.
Will this approach work against Erdogan, who almost reached the top of authoritarian power?
So far, the first reaction of the Turkish president and other senior officials of the state indicates the opposite. And the point is not so much that Ankara recalled her ambassador from Berlin, organizes the indignation of supposedly the entire Turkish people and threatens with some more terrible measures. From the mouth of the Minister of Justice of Turkey, Bekir Bozdag, such words sounded addressed to the Germans, which, no doubt, would not be left without consequences. “At first you burn the Jews in the furnaces,” said Bozdag, referring to Germany, “then you get up and accuse the Turkish people of genocide. It is better to deal with your own story. ”
Meanwhile, the Bundestag’s decision to recognize the Armenian genocide has actively supported the population of Germany. So, according to the operational survey of the ARD channel, 74% of the Germans approved the parliamentary resolution and only 18% considered it erroneous. Even more - 89% of respondents - are convinced that the EU must firmly demand from Ankara the fulfillment of all conditions and only after that provide a visa -free regime. And the very record 91% of Bundesburgers considers Turkey a country that does not deserve confidence because of the policy of its leadership led by Erdogan.