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Germany gets closer to Russian stance on Armenian genocide — diplomat

Germany’s Bundestag has approved a resolution describing the Ottoman era mass killings of Armenians as genocide
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

MOSCOW, June 2./TASS/. Germany has got closer to Moscow’s position on the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday after Germany’s Bundestag approved a resolution describing the Ottoman era mass killings of Armenians as genocide.

"This [Germany's resolution on the Armenian genocide] is of course Germany’s internal affair," she said. "But I would like to remind you that corresponding resolutions of the State Duma on the issue were passed long ago. The position of the Russian side on the issue is very clear," she told a briefing.

"As of today, we can say that Germany has also got closer to the Russian position," she said.

Germany’s Bundestag unanimously adopted on Thursday the resolution despite Turkey’s protests. Only one MP voted against the document, while another one abstained.

The vote in the parliament was attended by ambassadors of Armenia and Turkey. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was not present at the debate, but she approved the resolution during the probation voting in the parliamentary faction of CDU/CSU, the political alliance of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and Christian Social Union in Bavaria.

Later in the day, Turkey recalled its Ambassador to Berlin Avni Karsl·o·lu for consultations.