Resolution recognising Massacre of Armenians as Genocide passed at German Parliament

German Parliament, Bundestag, on 2 June 2016 passed a resolution recognising the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces during First World War (1915) as genocide.
The motion was put forward for voting by Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition of right and left and the opposition Greens.
It was passed with support from all the parties in Parliament with only one abstention and one vote against.

Effect of the resolution
• The passage of the resolution resulted in creation of tensions between Germany and Turkey.
• The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that this decision will seriously impact Turkish-German relations.
• Turkey denies the killings, started in 1915 and continued till 1917, as genocide and terms it as victims of civil war and unrest.
• The Armenian president and foreign minister welcomed the vote and thanks lawmakers of the country.
• Armenia termed the decision as a valuable contribution to the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian genocide.

Armenians Genocide by Ottoman forces
The Armenian Genocide also known as the Armenian Holocaust/Massacres was the Ottoman government's systematic extermination of its minority Armenian subjects inside their historic homeland, which lies within the present-day Republic of Turkey. The estimations project the number of vitims between 15 lakh and 30 lakh.
The genocide was carried out during and after World War I and implemented in two phases:
• The wholesale killing of the able-bodied male population through massacre and subjection of army conscripts to forced labour
• It was followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly and infirm on death marches leading to the Syrian Desert.
The event is viewed as the first genocide of 20th century by several scholars.