Vienna (AINA) -- a statement signed by the six political parties represented in the Austrian Parliament for the first time will call the massacres during WW I on the Armenians Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) as genocide. The vote will be held on Wednesday, April 22 and is expected pass. This comes after the European parliament adopted an Armenian resolution on April 15th and Pope Francis referred to the events as genocide.

The German parliament is expected to refer to the massacres as genocide on Friday, April 24.

"Due to the historical responsibility, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire was allied in the First World War with the Ottoman Empire, it is our duty to recognize the terrible events as genocide and condemn it," says the joint statement. The statement says "it is also the duty of Turkey to honestly face this dark and painful chapter of its past and acknowledge the crimes committed during the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians as genocide."

"Over the last 10 years, the Assyrian Democratic Organisation (ADO) in Austria lobbied intensely for the recognition of the genocide," said Aslan Ergen, head of ADO Section in Austria. "Many conferences and meetings with parliament members were held in Vienna. Recently there have been fruitful cooperation with Armenians and Pontis-Greeks to push for this recognition."

More than 24 countries have recognized the Armenian genocide. Six countries, including the Vatican, have recognized the Assyrian genocide (AINA 2015-04-21).