Germany's parliament has approved a symbolic resolution recognizing the 1915 massacre of Armenians during the First World War by the Ottoman Empire as a 'genocide.' The Turkish government has strongly condemned the resolution which is like to strain its relations with Germany.

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The vote was near-unanimous, with all but one member of parliament (MP) voting against the resolution and another choosing to abstain. German Chancellor Angela Merkel supported the decsion but was unable to be at the Parliament to vote due to her other commitments.

Turkey has refused to acknowledge human rights abuses committed during the Ottoman Empire's assault on Armenia in 1915.

The Turkish government expressed it disapproval of the resolution. According to Ankara, the passing of the resolution risks harming diplomatic ties between both countries. Turkey has since withdrawn its ambassador in Berlin.

Armenians, on the other hand, have voiced appreciation for the German resolution.

"Germany's valuable contribution not only to the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, but also to the universal fight for the prevention of genocides [and] crimes against humanity,"  Armenia's Foreign Minister, Edward Nalbandian said.

 "There is a lot that binds Germany to Turkey and even if we have a difference of opinion on an individual matter, the breadth of our links, our friendship, our strategic ties, is great," Merkel said. 

This resolution comes at an awkward time when Germany and the EU continue to rely on Turkey's assistance to deal with the refugee crisis. Recently, Ankara and the EU struck a deal regarding the migrant crisis. Turkey would get billions of Euros in exchange for its assistance in dealing with the movement of illegal migrants through its borders.

TagsTurkey, Germany, armenia, Armenian Genocide, angela merkel