A German government spokesman denied claims made in a news report that Berlin was going to tone down a resolution calling the murder of Armenians a genocide.

The German news magazine “Der Spiegel” had reported on Friday that Berlin planned a gesture to appease Turkish government anger over the Bundestag’s Armenia resolution. That report, however, was denied by German government spokesman Steffen Seibert.

He said there could be no talking of Germany distancing itself from the parliamentary resolution, reported the German Deutsche Welle (DW) TV and radio company.

He also stressed that the German government does not have authority to interfere in the affairs of another branch of power, and make assessments on its actions. He added, however, that the Bundestag resolution is not legally binding.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier likewise pointed out on Friday that the Bundestag resolution was non-binding.

“The German Bundestag naturally has every right and the freedom to express itself on political issues,” Steinmeier said. “But the Bundestag itself said that there is not a legally binding basis for every resolution.”

The report in “Der Spiegel” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government hoped to resolve a dispute that has seen German parliamentarians barred from visiting Bundeswehr troops stationed at the Incirlik airbase in eastern Turkey.