Sofia: Bulgaria`s parliament recognised for the first time on Friday the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire a century ago, holding a minute`s silence but avoiding the word genocide.
The special declaration approved by parliament in a 157-36 vote condemned the World War I killings as a "massacre" while highlighting the difference between the former Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey.
All those MPs who voted against were from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms party, which represents the EU member state`s 800,000-strong Turkish minority.
"History is history, victims are victims and this day has to be honoured in their memory," Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said before the vote.
"I hope that the clear differentiation between the Ottoman Empire and nowadays Turkey and the unquestionable fact that people were killed will be taken into account by the Turkish government," he added.
More than 20 nations -- including France and Russia but not the United States -- have recognised the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians as "genocide", but Bulgaria has on several occasions refused to use the same label.
Turkey has said up to 500,000 people were killed, but mostly due to war and starvation, and rejects the use of the term "genocide".
On Friday an emotional ceremony was held in the Armenian capital Yerevan attended by the presidents of France and Russia, the leaders of Cyprus and Serbia and delegations from some 60 countries.
