YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The Federal Government of Germany, giving in to pressures by Ankara, plans to make a step back and officially announce that it stands away from the Bundestag’s resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the German Spiegel reported.

In this regard “Armenpress” has talked with German scholar on genocides Tessa Hofmann – head of Working Group Recognition – Against Genocide for International Understanding organization.

Below we present her comments over this issue.

“German media announce that the Federal Government of Germany gives in to pressure by President Erdogan, who demands an official apology of the Federal Government from the Bundestag resolution of 02 June 2016. In that resolution the German lawmakers for the first time officially evaluated the ‘massacres’ and ‘deportations’ of the CUP government as genocide.

The German governmental compliance does not come as a surprise, but continues a shameful tradition that is as old as the crimes to which it relates. In the Turkish context, official Germany has always put alleged ‘national interests’ of Germany above human rights concerns, in this case above the legal recognition, or better condemnation of the crime of genocide. At present, Germany sacrifices the recognition for Turkey’s allowance of the presence of German military at the Incirlik base (BTW, once an Armenian village before the genocide of 1915).

Seen from a legal and democratic point of view, the Federal Government as the executive of this country violates the democratic rule of the priority of legislation. We must admit, although such behavior is incompatible with democratic principles, it is quite frequently applied by governments when they feel their ‘realpolitik’ disturbed by recognition resolutions of their legislations; it must be remembered that this happened before in Greece, in Sweden, but also on the level the European Union, when governments turned against their legislators. But repetition of wrong decisions does not come as a comfort.

In addition, not only democratic principles are at stake here. First of all, the Federal Government allows Turkey to humiliate a country that many consider as the political and economic most powerful in the EU. The intention of the Federal Government also demonstrates how easy it is to blackmail this government.

Must we have military presence in Incirlik? Many in this country rightly say: No!

We now wait for the precise wording of our government’s official apology towards Turkey and Mr. Erdogan.”