Dutch lawmakers want gov't to recognize Armenian Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives) of the Netherlands wants the departing cabinet to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey between 1915 and 1923, NL Times reports.

On April 24, 1915, a group of several hundred Armenian intellectuals were rounded up and assassinated in Constantinople by the Ottoman government. Every year on April 24, Armenians worldwide commemorate the anniversary of the Genocide, which continued until 1923. Some three dozen countries, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.

ChristenUnie, the smallest party in the Rutte III coalition, has been trying to get the Dutch government to recognize the Genocide since 2004. Three years ago, the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, recognized the Armenian Genocide at the party's initiative.

But the cabinet is still sticking to "the issue of the Armenian Genocide". According to Prime Minister Mark Rutte, recognizing the genocide will not contribute to a solution and reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey. But in 2018, a member of the Dutch cabinet attended the annual commemoration of the Genocide in the Armenian capital for the first time.

According to ChristenUnie parliamentarian Joel Voordewind, over 100 years have passed since the Genocide but Armenians are still feeling threatened by Turkey. Last year, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan supported Azerbaijan in the war against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. "This aggression must be stopped," Voordewind said.

And a majority in parliament - PVV, CDA, SP, GroenLinks, SGP, PvdD, 50Plus, FvD, and independent MPs Henk Krol and Femke Van Kooten-Arissen - agree that acknowledging the Genocide can help promote reconciliation and prevent another Genocide. "That is why it is first of all very important that countries speak out clearly. A large majority in parliament calls on the Dutch government to finally do this," Voordewind said. The motion will be put to the vote in the Tweede Kamer on Tuesday, February 9 afternoon.