Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative) on Monday, 20 June 2016, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 July 2016. It was answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative) on Thursday, 30 June 2016 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Turkey: Politics and Government

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 6 June (HL320), what assessment they have made of the effects on Turkey’s candidate status for accession to the EU of the recent resolution of the German Parliament declaring the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 and 1916 an act of genocide.

Answer: The Government recognises the horrific suffering inflicted on the Armenian people and other groups living in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th Century. The Government’s policy is that the recognition of genocide is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. The Government believes that the priority today should be to promote reconciliation between the peoples and Governments of Turkey and Armenia.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL758
Session: 2016-17
Related items: Turkey: Politics and Government
Monday, 6 June 2016
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Armenia EU accession Genocide Germany World War I Turkey
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk