The Foreign Affairs Committee of Spain`s Parliament refused to recognize the so-called "Armenian genocide" by 36 votes against and 3 in favor. 
The two MPs from the Amaiur coalition from the Basque Country prepared draft proposals for the recognition of the 1915 events as genocide during the Ottoman Empire period.
The proposal was supported only by the Basque Nationalist Party and United Left. The Spain`s ruling centre-right People`s Party, Socialist Workers` Party and others opposed the document.
Speaking at the Commission`s session Jose Maria Beneyto, MP from the People`s Party, and Meritxell Batet, MP from the Socialist Workers` Party cited France as an example to claim that such steps can damage the Turkish-Armenian relations.
MP from the Progress and Democracy party Irene Lozano has condemned those who proposed this document, adding it would be better to mourn terror act victims in the Basque country rather than to talk about the "heroism" of Armenians and shed crocodile tears for them. "I see these actions as duplicity. And the thing is that you protect Armenians," Irene Lozano said.
The role of the Embassy of Turkey in Spain in securing the refusal by the Parliament was noted.

AzerTAc