Category: News

Ankara called back its ambassador to Berlin in protest after German MPs voted through a resolution to call the killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire a genocide on Thursday.

The Turkish government has described the Bundestag’s approval of the Armenian genocide bill “null and void,” the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“The fact that the German Parliament approved distorted and baseless claims as genocide is a historic mistake. The German Parliament’s approval of this bill is not a decision in line with friendly relations between Turkey and Germany. This decision is null and void for Turkey,” Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said.

“This is an issue that scientists and historians need to reach a conclusion on, not politicians or parliaments. As Turkey, we will surely give the necessary response to this decision in all platforms,” he added.

Meanwhile, Turkish Ambassador to Berlin Hüseyin Avni Karslıoglu has been recalled toAnkara for consultations over the decision.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavuşoglu took to Twitter to criticize the vote.

“The way to close dark pages in [Germany’s] own history is not to defame the history of other countries with irresponsible and baseless parliament decisions,” Cavuşoğlu tweeted.

Congressman Adam Schiff has commended the overwhelming vote by the German Bundestag to recognize the ‎Armenian Genocide‬.

“With this acknowledgement of the facts of the genocide, Germany joins a host of other European countries in recognizing and condemning the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923,” Rep. Schiff said.

“The German vote is particularly courageous as it comes in the midst of negotiations with Turkey regarding the flow of refugees and migrants into Europe. It sends a clear message that the truth of genocide cannot be silenced and that temporary expediency can never justify complicity in genocide denial,” he added.

“Our own Congress should demonstrate the same willingness to defy Turkish threats, and the same moral integrity and commitment to principle by following Germany’s example,” Adam Schiff said.

Dozens of people gathered outside the German parliament in Berlin on Thursday to celebrate the decision by German lawmakers to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The resolution recognizing the 1915-1916 genocide by the Ottoman Empirewas passed by a landslide vote with only one lawmaker opposing.

 

A dagger entombed alongside the mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun was made with iron that came from a meteorite, researchers say, the BBC reports.

The weapon was one of a pair of daggers discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1925 within the burial wrappings of the teenaged king.

The origin of its unrusted iron blade has baffled scientists because such metalwork was rare in ancient Egypt.

Tutankhamun was mummified more than 3,300 years ago.

Italian and Egyptian researchers used “a non-invasive X-ray technique” to confirm the composition of the iron without damaging it, according to a study published in the journal of Meteoritics and Planetary Science.

Armenia welcomes the adoption of the resolution by the German Bundestag  on recognition of the Genocide committed against Armenians and other Christian peoples.

“German President Joachim Gauck’s statement on the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, along with this Bundestag resolution, is a valuable contribution not only to the process of international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian genocide but also to the fight for prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in a statement.

“Germany and Austria, two former allies of the Ottoman Empire acknowledge their share of responsibility in the perpetration of the Armenian Genocide, while the Turkish authorities keep denying the obvious fact of the genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire,” Minister Nalbandian said.

“The international community has been waiting for Turkey to face its history for 101 years,” the Foreign Minister said.

US singer Prince died from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl, medical examiners have found, the BBC reports.

The report, from Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Minnesota, comes more than a month after the singer was found slumped in a lift at his home.

Detectives have already questioned a doctor who saw the 57-year-old twice in the weeks before he died.

Prescription painkillers were in the singer’s possession following his death, officials told US media in May.

A police warrant has also revealed that Dr Michael Schulenberg prescribed medication to the singer on 20 April – the day before he died.

Armenia and Iran plan to sign an agreement on abolishing visas. The Government is expected to approve the conclusion of a corresponding agreement during its upcoming session on June 2.

The agreement is aimed at further development of relations between the two countries, strengthening of mutually beneficial economic, trade and other relations and regulation of the regime of visits of both countries’ citizens.

According to the document, Armenian and Iranian citizens will not need entry visas for a stay of up to 90 days in a period of 180 days. The corresponding authorities in both countries will reserve the right to extend the period of stay.

The signing of the agreement will promote the development of tourism, in both countries and will create favorable conditions for the reciprocal visits of the citizens.

The bill on Armenian Genocide to be voted on in the German Bundestag on Thursday is very important to us, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said n an interview with He added that the measure is important not only for our country, but also for prevention of such crimes anywhere in the world.

“No German politician, even the ones who oppose the bill, denies that the events that happened 101 years ago were genocide, the first genocide of the 20^th century. I think that the values German politicians share should be more important than the short-term political interests. Many other countries, including France, have recognized the Armenian Genocide,” President Sargsyan said.

Speaking about the Germany responsibility, the President said: “There are numerous documents in German archives, reports by German diplomats and missionaries that prove the extermination of the Armenian people. The German Empire was historically an alley of the Ottoman Empire, and  might have to do something to prevent the crime. But it did nothing.”

President Sargsyan said he can’t understand the fear of German politicians of Erdogan’s sharp reaction. “Germany is a powerful state and the voice of the German Bundestag is heard all over the world. That’s why Germany has a special moral responsibility in defending the values without making any compromises. When you make a compromise out of a short-term political interests, you do it again and again. And that is bad for Germany, bad for Europe and the world,” he said.

The Armenian President said the possible failure of the Turkey-EU migrant deal has nothing to do with the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution. “It won’t be fair if you refuse calling the killing of the Armenian people “genocide” just because it will anger the head of state of another country. I am sure that the politicians in the Bundestag think the same way and will not be intimidated.”

Can Europe ever trust Erdogan in any form? “I cannot speak for Europe, but I can tell you from my own experience: No, we do not trust Erdogan! It is not only because of his refusal to recognize the Armenian Genocide. We have tried for years to establish diplomatic relations. There were for example, the Zurich protocols that had to be ratified by the Turkish Parliament. But Erdogan has blocked everything. I wonder: Why did we ever negotiate?” President Sargsyan said.

Europe should not blindly trust Erdogan, but find its own solutions for the refugee problem, he added.

Referring to the Karbakh conflict, President Sargsyan said: “At the moment the situation is calm, there is no shooting. However, when Azerbaijan unleashed a military aggression, there was lack of international solidarity. We would like to make it clear what happened there: an attack by Azerbaijan.”

Asked what he expects from the international community, President Sargsyan said: “Armenia is a small country. We realize that we are economically perhaps less interesting. We want the wrong to be called wrong.  First of all. Europe should have criticized the actions of Azerbaijan. If that is not enough, sanctions would be conceivable as a next step.”

Tottenham are set to enter the race to sign Borussia Dortmund star Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the reports.

The Armenia international is understood to already be a target for Juventus and Arsenal.

But now Spurs are weighing up a bid as they seek to strengthen for a Champions League push next season.

Mkhitaryan, who is out of contract next summer, scored 23 goals and had 32 assists in all competitions last season for Dortmund.

Photo: AP

 

Two people are dead and the campus is on lockdown following a shooting at the University of California at Los Angeles, police say, the BBC reports.

The search continues for an “active shooter” and students and staff have been told to shelter in place.

The incident is said to have happened in one of the campus engineering buildings.

Police are at the scene and a city-wide alert has been issued so that emergency resources can be brought in.