Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan has warned Germany of consequences if it passes an Armenian genocide resolution.
Berlin and Ankara’s deep cultural, economic, political and military ties could sour at a critical time. Erdogan warned Germany on Tuesday against labeling the mass death of Armenians during World War I as “genocide”, a sensitive move that could damage relations at a sensitive juncture, AFP reported.
German lawmakers are expected to pass the resolution on Thursday, with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and their coalition partner, the Social Democrats, as well as the Greens backing the measure.
Before heading on a trip to Africa on Tuesday, Erdogan told reporters the resolution’s passage would “naturally damage future diplomatic, economic, business, political and military relations between the two countries—and we are both also NATO countries.”
Erdogan also initiated a call with Merkel on Tuesday, Turkish state-run Anatolia Agency reported.
As the successor state to the Ottoman Empire, Turkey officially denies that the events that started in 1915 amounted to genocide and has lashed out at countries that have officially recognized the term.
When France formally called the displacements and killings genocide in 2011, Turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador; it did the same thing to Austria last year. It has threatened the US with the closure of critical NATO bases, if the US Congress passes a resolution.
The German resolution comes at a time when Merkel is relying on Turkey to implement a migrant deal with the EU. The controversial deal has already faced difficulty over Turkish demands for visa-free travel to the bloc.
