Today is a potentially important moment in German-Turkish relations, as German MPs earlier this morning approved a resolution that named as a “genocide” the killing of millions of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Turkey has always denied that such a genocide ever occurred, and Turkish diplomats have reacted strongly to the German MPs’ declaration. Turkey’s president, Recip Tayyip Erdogan, recalled the country’s ambassador to Germany and described the incident as a “real test of friendship” between Turkey and Germany.
The recognition of the Armenian Genocide comes at a pivotal time in German-Turkish relations. In March, Prime Minister Angela Merkel negotiated a refugee deal between the EU and Turkey that would see refugees currently in Europe returned to Turkey. EU countries would also send billions of euros in aid and allow visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in most of Europe. Without Turkey’s assent, the refugee deal would collapse.
Merkel’s friendliness with the Turkish regime – which has often been criticized in recent years for its tendencies towards authoritarianism – was exemplified in April. That was when Merkel allowed a criminal prosecution against a German comic who had made lurid jokes about Erdogan could proceed under an obscure statute that bans insulting foreign leaders. Many in Germany and elsewhere in Europe criticized Merkel for her decision, which was seen as an attack on free speech, but Erdogan’s importance to EU policy remained unchallenged: “The Turkish president has become all but indispensable to the security of Europe as it tries to calm war-ravaged Syria,” The New York Times reported.
Today’s resolution in the Bundestag, however, might signify that Merkel’s push to ally with a repressive strongman will not proceed uninhibited, and that many in Germany still see fit to push back against Merkel and defend liberal values – the sort of values under threat in Turkey. Perhaps the resolution also reflects Merkel’s growing unpopularity in Germany as a result of her handling of the refugee crisis. Whatever the case may be, today’s vote – and the mixed messages it sends from the branches of German government – is a sign that not all in Europe are on board with placating Turkey in its entirety.