On June 2nd, Germany Parliament, Bundestag will vote the Genocide Resolution of Armenian, Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian and Greek Pontiac people during the First World War, WWI under the Ottoman-Turkish rule. Entitled as “In Remembrance and Commemoration of the Genocide against Armenians and other Christian Minorities in the years 1915 and 1916” has historical and moral importance for the above mentioned groups, to the Germany and most important to the Turkey as a state which was founded on the basis of the Ottoman Empire.
Accepted as first genocide of twenty century by experts, academics and historians, the Ottoman-Turkish genocide against Armenians, Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrians and Greek Pontiacs left irreversible human, social, cultural, and monumental damage to the native Christian minority groups. More than two millions of innocent civilians killed, hundreds of thousands people forced to march death, women and children had been target of utmost inhuman treatment and thousands had been forced of conversion to Islam. Community leaders, intellectual, writers, journalists, artists and religious leaders had been arrested and killed in unknown places.
During the years of WWI, Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people were dispersed in the east regions of the Empire; starting from Turabdin including, Malatya and Harput up to the Hakkari region, even to Sivas until Ourmia and Salmas in Iran and to the Nineveh Plain. Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people were important contributors to the development of the region with their authentic cultural, historical, social and economic richness. On the other hand, there was increasing hostility and attacks against Christian entities in the east regions starting from 1843 with Bedirkhan attacks, 1895 Diyarbakir and 1909 in Adana. Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrians call this genocide as “Sayfo” in Syriac language which means the “Sword”. During the genocide around 500.000 Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrians killed, hundreds of thousands had been forced to the exodus, women raped, killed and sold in the markets. Historical monuments, churches and monasteries had been sacked, destroyed and converted. During the genocide, Ottoman-Turkish forces benefited from some local Kurdish and Chechen tribes and also have close relation and military exchange with German forces of the time.
We believe that recognition of genocide by German Bundestag is in great importance with historical responsibility and moral for Germany and to send clear message to Turkey in right direction to recognize the genocide against native people as Armenians, Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrians and Greek Pontiacs. Germany already showed the right and just response to the historical events and build up a society of acceptance and harmony with its history. Based on this, we believe that Germany decision is in high significance to recognize the genocide which will be clear example for other European democracies.
We call our Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people and Armenian and Greek Pontiac brethren to show their full solidarity and support to German Parliamentarians in order to see the recognition of Armenian, Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian and Greek Pontiac genocide.