Denmark Refuses To Recognize Armenian Genocide

Jan 11, 2008
Armenialiberty.org, Armenia
AFP

Denmark does not officially recognize that Ottoman massacres of Armenians during World War I constitute genocide, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said Thursday.

"In the government's opinion, this is a historical question that should be left up to the historians," Moeller wrote in a written parliamentary answer, indicating that Denmark would not follow the lead of some 20 other countries, including France, that have labeled the killings genocide.

Moeller's note came in response to a question from parliamentary member Morten Messerchmidt, of the far-right Danish People's Party, on whether "Denmark had officially recognized this genocide."

"It is unfortunate that the Danish government refuses to join other countries in recognizing this genocide," Messerschmidt told AFP. "It is as if they fear Turkey's reactions."

Copenhagen's decision "to not recognize this genocide shows that the government indirectly supports Turkey's cowardly refusal to take responsibility for its history the way the Germans did after World War II," he said.

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