Germany has broad and strong relations with Turkey despite differences on some issues, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday after lawmakers passed a resolution describing the 1915 massacres of Armenians by Ottoman forces as “genocid,” Reuters reports.

Turkey, which rejects the description, has recalled its ambassador to Germany in response.

“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 at a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

She added that Germany supported dialogue between Turkey and Armenia and sought good relations with Ankara.