MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Bundestag’s agenda schedules the 100th annual commemoration of genocide on the Armenian and other Christian minorities in 1915-16 to take place at 11:10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. local time (09:10-10:15 GMT).
Turkey’s newly installed Prime Minister Binali Yildirim labeled the vote "absurd and wanton" in comments made Wednesday, warning that a vote on the resolution would harm German-Turkish relations.
Some 1.2 million Armenians were slaughtered or starved to death by the Ottomans during and after the first World War. The Turkish empire’s policy of ethnic violence was recognized by many European countries and by the European Parliament as the Armenian genocide.
Ankara dismisses any accusations of massacre and rejects the term "genocide," saying that Turkish nationals were also victimized.
The Armenian genocide has been officially recognized by 27 countries, including Russia.
