Commemoration of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide

Tabled by Tamás Meszerics, Rebecca Harms, Heidi Hautala, Ulrike Lunacek, Michele Rivasi, Peter Eriksson, Bart Staes, Ernest Urtasun, Barbara Lochbihler, Indrek Tarand, Tatjana Zdanoka, Davor Skrlec, Bart Staes, Bodil Ceballos; Helga Truepel on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

The European Parliament,

- Having regard to its resolution of 28 September 2005 on the opening of negotiations with Turkey,

- Having regard to its resolution of 15 November 2000 on Turkey’s progress towards accession,

- Having regard to its resolution of 20 July 2007 on a Political solution to the Armenian question,

- Having regard to the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,

- Having regard to the resolution of the UN Human Rights Council of 23 March 2015 on the Prevention of Genocide,

- Having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.    Whereas one of the main motivations of the European unification movement and one of the founding values of the European Union is the will to prevent the recurrence of wars and crimes against humanity in Europe,

B.    Whereas the EU has played a fundamental role in the establishment of the International Criminal Court and promotes the signing and the ratification of the Rome Statute in its relations with third countries with a view to punishing and preventing war crimes and crimes against humanity in compliance with international law,

C.    Whereas the year of 2015 marks the centennial of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire,

D.    Whereas this Genocide had long-term and profound effects on refugee populations, especially on the European Continent,

E.    Whereas the denial of genocide is perceived and recognised as the final stage of genocide paving the way for future genocides,

F.    Whereas the absence of unequivocal and timely condemnation of the Armenian genocide substantially contributed to  the failure to prevent subsequent crimes against humanity,

G.    Whereas it is of the utmost importance to prevent or act rapidly to put an end to such crimes in order to stop the escalation of conflicts and humanitarian crises,

1.    Participates to the commemoration of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide in a spirit of European  solidarity and justice and pays tributes to the memory of the innocent victims of all genocides and crimes against humanity; calls on the Commission and the Council to join the commemoration of the centennial;

2.    Condemns all occurrences of crimes against humanity and genocide and strongly deplores any attempts of their denial,

3.    Stresses that the timely prevention and effective punishment of genocides and crimes against humanity should be among the main priorities of the international community as it is for the European Union;

4.    Supports all efforts to prevent genocides, the restoration of the rights of people subjected to genocide and the establishment of international justice;

5.    Welcomes the recognition of the Armenian genocide by an increasing number of EU Member States and urges those EU Members States that have not yet done it and EU institutions to recognize it and to promote actively its recognition by the international community and calls for concrete efforts to stop any acts of denial;

6.    Takes the view that the 100 year commemoration of the Armenian genocide in 2015 represents an important occasion for Turkey to come to terms with its past; calls in this regard on the Turkish authorities to open all the archives providing historians, academics and researchers the opportunity to shed light on those tragic events and start a genuine and transparent debate in the public opinion with a view to recognizing the genocide; welcomes the steps taken recently by some Turkish intellectuals and NGOs and reiterates its call on Turkey to normalize the relations and establish diplomatic relations with Armenia; equally supports civil society initiatives between Turkey and Armenia working towards the normalization of relations;

7.    Welcomes the significant progress made by the international community, notably in the UN framework, in developing relevant mechanisms and practices to prevent and punish the crime of genocide; expresses its full support to this process and reiterates its call for the universal ratification of the UN Convention on the Crime of Genocide and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;

8.    Supports the recommendation of the UN Human Rights Council that the General Assembly designate 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of Genocide in order to raise awareness of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and its role in combating and preventing the crime of genocide;

9.    Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States of the Union, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy, the Special Representative of the European Union for Human Rights, the President and the Parliament of Armenia and the President and the Parliament of Turkey.