09 March 2018•Update: 09 March 2018
BELGRADE, Serbia
The Serbian parliament on Friday rejected a motion supporting the Armenian allegations on the incidents of 1915 during the Ottoman Empire.
The bill on recognition of the Armenian allegations as "genocide" was submitted by Zoran Zivkovic, leader of the opposition New Party.
The bill was defeated by 139 votes in the 250-seat parliament against support from only a handful of seven lawmakers.
Turkey's position on the events of 1915 is that deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia in 1915 occurred after some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.
Ankara does not accept the alleged "genocide" but acknowledges there were casualties on both sides during World War I.
Turkey objects to the presentation of the incidents as “genocide” but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy for both sides.
Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia plus international experts to tackle the issue.
