Motion on Armenian Genocide Submitted to European Parliament

STRASBOURG — Belgian MEP Gerolf Annemans, chairman of Vlaams Belang party, submitted to European Parliament a motion calling on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The document says:

– having regard to Rule 133 of its Rules of Procedure;

– having regard to the many studies and historical data on the situation of the Armenian population in Turkey at the beginning of the twentieth century,

– having regard to the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide which defines genocide,

– having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 18 June 1987 on a political solution to the Armenian question,

– having regard to subsequent Parliament resolutions in which it has argued to a greater or lesser extent in favor of recognizing the Armenian genocide of 1915,

A. whereas these resolutions have not yet induced the Turkish government to recognize the genocide;

B. whereas a century after the events, the time has come to initiate reconciliation;

1. Calls on the Turkish government officially to recognize the 1915 genocide of the Armenians living in Turkey perpetrated by the last government of the Ottoman Empire;

2. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Turkish government, the Armenian government, the Commission, the Council and the Presidents of the Parliament of the Republic of Turkey and the Parliament of the Republic of Armenia.

The motion was signed by Marine Le Pen, Louis Aliot, Marie-Christine Arnautu, Nicolas Bay, Dominique Bilde, Marie-Christine Boutonnet, Steeve Briois, Mireille D’Ornano, Edouard Ferrand, Sylvie Goddyn, Jean-François Jalkh, Gilles Lebreton, Philippe Loiseau, Dominique Martin, Joëlle Mélin, Bernard Monot, Sophie Montel, Florian Philippot, Jean-Luc Schaffhauser, Mylène Troszczynski, Matteo Salvini, Mara Bizzotto, Mario Borghezio, Gianluca Buonanno, Lorenzo Fontana, Marcel de Graaff, Hans Jansen, Olaf Stuger, Harald Vilimsky, Barbara Kappel.