DAMASCUS, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian government on Thursday recognized the Armenian Genocide as being committed by the Ottoman government in the early 20th century, as Syria's relations with Turkey have hit a new low.
The Syrian government's recognition was announced by the parliament which also condemned "any attempt to deny this crime and distort the historical fact."
"That crime is one of the toughest in the history of humankind," the parliament added.
The Armenians say as many as 1.5 million of them were murdered within the Ottoman Empire from about 1914 to 1923.
Hamoudeh Sabbagh, the Syrian parliament speaker, said the decision was made as Syria is "subject to Turkish aggression based on the obnoxious Ottoman ideology."
The response of the Syrian army in the face of the current Turkish attacks is a "historic" act that aims to prevent "the re-emergence of a new Ottoman monster," he added.
The sharp rhetoric comes as the Turkish and Syrian armies have been exchanging fire over the past few days in northern Syria.