The German parliament is expected to approve a symbolic resolution on Thursday that declares that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces that began in 1915 was a "genocide".

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenian were killed by Ottoman Turks during and after the First World War. Many scholars view the killings as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey denies that the killings were genocidal, and contends that those who died were victims of civil war and unrest. Turkey also insists the death toll has been inflated.

More than 20 other countries, including France, have passed similar resolutions in past years, infuriating Turkey.