A controversial resolution passed by French lawmakers was denounced by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The ministry on Monday rejected the resolution that it said made unfounded accusations related to the Assyrian and Chaldean communities under the Ottoman Empire, which were "null and void."
The resolution, passed by the French parliament's lower house, the National Assembly, is "an example of efforts to distort historical events for the sake of political interests," a statement by the ministry said. The resolution says Ottomans committed genocide against two communities in 1915, something Türkiye has long denied. The National Assembly has previously come under fire by Türkiye for recognizing another incident in 1915 as "Armenian genocide."
Underlining that the resolution has no "legal or historical foundation," the statement noted that the French government had withheld support from a similar resolution adopted by the French Senate last year. "The fact that the same unfounded accusations have been put on the agenda of the National Assembly this time by members of the ruling party is an example of efforts to distort historical events for the sake of political interests," it said.
The ministry also stressed that parliaments have no authority to interpret or render judgments on historical events. "This resolution also contravenes the 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which states that the crime of genocide can only be ruled by a competent court," it added.
The Republic of Türkiye, the heir to the collapsed empire, fought a powerful Armenian lobby for decades against the recognition of the 1915 incidents as "genocide" by the international community. Ankara has adhered to the principle that the past should not be politicized and such accusations should be tackled and discussed by independent historians.
