On Thursday Dutch lawmakers will hold a debate with Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag on the motions related to the Armenian genocide, author of the bills Joel Voordewind said in a Twitter post.
Subsequently, the motions of supported by the coalition and the overwhelming majority of opposition will be submitted, the lawmaker said.
Aanstaande donderdag van 11 tot 14.00 het genocide-debat met minister Kaag. Aansluitend zullen de moties van de coalitie en inmiddels overgrote deel van oppositie over de Armeense genoicde worden ingediend.
— Joël Voordewind (@JoelVoordewind) February 19, 2018
Minister of Foreign Afairs Sigrid Kaag said last week she respects and appreciates the Tweede Kamer’s (House of Representatives) “enthusiasm” to recognize the Armenian genocide, but will not comment on the government’s stance on the issue until she’s debated the matter with parliament next week.
A majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, support two motions from ChristenUnie MP Joel Voordewind calling on the government to recognize the Armenian genocide and to send a Minister or State Secretary to the commemoration in the Armenian capital of Yerevan in April.
Turkey summoned the Dutch charge d‘affaires to Ankara on Saturday to express its unhappiness with the proposed bills that would see the Netherlands recognize as genocide the 1915 killing of as many as 1.5 million Armenians.
