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PM confirms Turkey recalls ambassador from Germany over voting in parliament

The German parliament by an overwhelming majority vote adopted a resolution declaring the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of last century to be genocide

© EPA/MARIJAN MURAT

ANKARA, June 2 /TASS/. The Turkish authorities recalled the Turkish ambassador to Berlin on Thursday for consultations, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in his speech in Ankara on Thursday.

"The Bundestag [parliament] accepted the initiative of the Armenian lobby in Germany, which is our vital ally. It was a mistake, which Turkey cannot accept. We have recalled our ambassador to Germany for consultations," Yildirim said adding that even historians could arrive at the common conclusion on the events that had taken place in the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

The Turkish prime minister said Turkey would decide what steps it should take after seeing the adopted resolution’s text.

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Germany’s Bundestag unanimously adopted on Thursday a resolution calling mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire genocide despite Turkey’s protests.

Only one MP voted against the document, while another one abstained.

The document is titled "In remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of the Armenians and other Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire 101 years ago."

Representatives of the Turkish community of Germany spoke against the resolution. They believe it is going to poison the public climate in a country where about 3 million Turks live. In a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for reason and common sense in connection with the German parliament’s plans. Turkish new Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has described the vote as farcical.

Ankara does not recognize the term "genocide", which some countries use to characterize the events that took place in the Ottoman Empire early in the 20th century. Turkey insists that both Turks and Armenians suffered in those clashes, which it classifies as fratricidal war.

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