EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
for Justice & Democracy
Avenue dela Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel: +322 732 70 26
Tel/Fax:+322 732 70 27
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
April 21, 2005
Contact :Talline Tachdjian
Tel/Fax :+322 732 70 27
CALL OF THE EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION ON THE OCCASION OF THE 90TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Brussels, Belgium – On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide, the European Armenian Federation calls upon the
European civil society, representatives of associative organizations,
survivors of the Armenian Genocide, children and grandchildren of
Armenian Genocide survivors, representatives of associations for
the Defence of victims of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity,
Representatives of associations for the Defence of Human Rights,
representatives of associations and organisations signatories of
the Charter of European Armenians, and actors of European political
life, in signing a declaration urging the democratic and executive
institutions of the European Union to commemorate appropriately the
90th anniversary of the first Genocide of the 20th century, and to
reflect clearly the will of national Parliaments and the European
Parliament in that Turkey should recognize the Armenian Genocide in
all official documents regarding future negotiations with the Republic
of Turkey.
The European Armenian Federation considers that this anniversary,
falling on the actual year set for the opening of negotiations with
Turkey, must mark a turning point in the priority given to the Genocide
issue by the European Executive in its relations with Turkey.
The European Commission, in the framework of defining its perspective
on regional policy, made reference to the Armenian Genocide in its last
report on Turkey. The Commission, however, failed to use the proper
term of genocide, and, inappropriately, reduced this international
issue to a simple bilateral one between Turkey and Armenia.
“Accepting a denialist country in its midst, is first of all, a serious
problem for the future of Europe. The European Executive cannot ignore
anymore the continued calls of national Parliaments and the European
Parliament, whose resolution of December 15th, 2004 asked the European
Commission and Council to demand that Turkey recognize the Genocide,”
said Hilda Tchoboian, Chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.
The Federation recalls that many European countries were witnesses
to the annihilation of the Armenians, which occurred on the
borders of Europe, while others actually were complicit in its
implementation. Others promised to work for justice and to institute
legal proceedings against the responsible state and its guilty
leaders. In the end, however, these promises were never fulfilled
due to political compromises by the Allies, which led to a general
amnesia regarding this tragedy throughout Europe.
“The Europe of today – made up of these states – cannot escape its
responsibility for addressing this crime. The duty of memory is
essential for all Europeans and European democratic institutions,”
noted Tchoboian.
The declaration of the European Armenian Federation is open to all
democratic and constituent organizations that comprise European
civil society.
The text is available on and hereunder.
If you cannot sign this call online, candly print it out, sign it
and send it to us at
EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 BRUXELLES
BELGIUM
Fax: +322 732 70 27
email: [email protected]
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EUROPEAN CALL ON THE 90th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Ninety years ago, the then government of the Ottoman Empire, lead by
the Young-Turks, launched and executed the deliberate annihilation
of the Armenian people.
In less than two years, 1 500 000 Armenian men, women and children
were uprooted from their homes, and made to march to their death
under inhuman and despicable conditions.
The genocide was perpetrated to encroach upon the Armenians’
ancestral lands and to reduce to silence their call for freedom and
social justice.
Today, there remains less than 70 000 Armenians in the Turkish Republic.
The consequences of this crime are incalculable and continue until today.
In addition to the suffering it caused, the genocide was designed to
create a Turkish nation in a turkified Anatolia. The despoiling of
the Armenian properties was systematic and thus it transferred the
economy into the sole hands of the Turks. In fact, the organisers
succeeded in transforming the destruction of the Armenian people into
a national enterprise.
The Turkish Republic of today is build upon the extermination of
Armenians, the expulsion of survivors and of other minorities,
mainly Christians; Created by the perpetrators of the Genocide, it
continues to extend its moral and material prejudice by continued
destruction of the national heritage and remnants of the Armenian
civilisation in Western Armenia, by the oppression of the remaining
Armenian minority and by the hateful and aggressive denial of the
reality of the Genocide.
The International community and particularly the European States had,
at the time of the genocide, immediately condemned this crime as an
“outrage against humanity”, affirming that it would institute legal
proceedings against the criminal State and against those persons
responsible for these acts. But, confronted with the geopolitical
importance of Turkey and commercial opportunities, the commitments
for Justice were progressively forgotten.
Since then, in the face of the denial by the Turkish State, Europe
recognized the Armenian Genocide in the European Parliament with
the resolution on June 18th, 1987. Furthermore, a large number of
national parliaments of member States recognized followed suit in
official recognition.
>>From 2000 to 2004, the European Parliament regularly called upon
Turkey to assume its responsibilities in recognizing the Genocide.
Today, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the First Genocide of
the 20th century, and the beginning of the negotiations for Turkey’s
accession to the EU, we affirm that denying the Genocide by this
country would put into danger the founding values of Europe for
justice and peace.
We,
– Representatives of associative life and European civil society
– Survivors of the Armenian Genocide
– Children and grandchildren of Armenian Genocide survivors
– Representatives of associations for the Defence of victims of Genocide and
Crime against Humanity
– Representatives of associations for the Defence of Human rights
– Representatives of signatory associations and organisations of the Charter
of European Armenians
– Actors of the European political life
– Consider that current Turkey remains legally and politically responsible
for this crime against Humanity,
– Consider that Turkey must recognize its responsibility in this crime
– Call upon the European institutions to solemnly commemorate the Armenian
Genocide during 2005
– Call upon the European Executive, the European Commission
and Council, to implement the Genocide recognition by the
European nations, integrating the demands expressed by the
European Parliament on the recognition of the Genocide in
the official documents for the framework of negotiations
with Turkey.
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