Russian Parliament Denounces Armenian Genocide Ahead of 90th Anniversary
MOSNEWS, Russia
April 22 2005
The Russian State Duma passed a resolution on Friday denouncing the
genocide of the Armenians in 1915 following a unanimous vote just
ahead of the start of the 90th anniversary of the massacres in Turkey
and western Armenia.
“The deputies of the State Duma fully denounce the act genocide and
believe that the entire international community should commemorate
the 90th anniversary,” the Interfax news agency quoted the resolution
as saying.
The deputies called it one the most “tragic” and “cruel” events of
the 20th century.
April 24 is seen as the date when the massacres began.
Russia was among the first to recognize the genocide in 1915, and
remains among a handful of countries that recognize the massacre
of some 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1920 by Turks as
genocide. Turkey itself still does not recognize the genocide,
and neither does the United States, where Congress has pressed for
recognition several times.
Canada has joined the group of countries that recognizes the
genocide. Many countries, such as the United States and Israel,
are reluctant to recognize the genocide because they fear it would
strain relations with Turkey, a NATO member that is seen as a stable
democracy in the Middle East.