German Deputy of Turkish descent, leader of The Green Party Cem Özdemir, who submitted the Armenian Genocide Resolution to the Bundestag for voting, gave an interview to Deutsche Welle periodical.

 “I think it is time to recognize the Armenian Genocide after 101 years. It is time for us, as a country that was unfortunately an ally to the Ottoman Empire, take responsibility, acknowledge the fact of genocide and take the blame. Of course, the adoption of this resolution is also a signal to Turkey to be brave and revisit what happened at that time,” Özdemir said, as reported Tert.am.

When asked about the reaction to expect from Turkey, Özdemir emphasized the following: “It depends on what kind of reaction we expect from Ankara. Of course, we can’t expect a positive reaction from the official Ankara, just like every time when the parliament of any country raises the issue of the Armenian Genocide. However, there is also another Turkey where there are people who tell stories that you will never hear from official sources. People talk about how their grandmothers or ancestors were Armenian, but this is not stated in history textbooks. There are unwritten stories that will be told someday.”

On June 2, with a prevailing majority of votes in favor, the German Bundestag passed the resolution recognizing the genocide of Christians. Only one deputy voted against, and another abstained. The Armenian Genocide Resolution reads as follows: “The genocide perpetrated against the Armenians and other Christian minorities needs to be remembered.” It is stated that the Bundestag condemns the Ottoman government’s actions to practically annihilate the Armenians living on Ottoman lands. The five-page resolution states that “the destiny of the Armenians is an example of the massacres, ethnic cleansing, deportations and genocide that took place in the 20^th century.”