CLAIMS NEED TO BE GROUNDED SCIENTIFICALLY

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
25 April 05

On these days together with Armenians all over the world Artsakh
commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Although
these days are days of sorrow for the Armenian nation, we have stepped
into a new stage when itis possible to present our claims at a
scientific level. The scientific conference at Artsakh State
University on April 22 with participants from Armenia, besides the
chronology of the Armenian Genocide, put forward forceful arguments
for its international recognition. In his address the NKR minister of
education, science and culture A. Ghulian said during 70 years of
Soviet rule the issue of the Armenian Genocide was neglected at a
governmental level although the pain continued to live in the memory
of the nation. A new genocide was prevented on the eve of the 21st
century owing to the existence of an Armenian statehood, which means
that the two independent and free states have assumed the role of
assuring nation preservation. The director of the RA National Archive
A. Virabian, Ph.D., presented the materials of the RA National
Archive on the Armenian Genocide containing true documents about the
massacres of Armenians perpetrated by the Turks against the Armenian
nation. Everybody can have access to the archive materials,
including. The vice rector of Yerevan State University, Professor
Doctor A. Simonian reported on the steps taken in the past ninety
years at condemning the genocide, and the actions to be taken to reach
its final recognition. The subject of the report presented by the
scientific secretary of the Institute of History of the National
Academy of Sciences K. Khachatrian was the continuity of the Turkish
policy of Armenian Genocide in 1894 â=80` 1922. The reports of the
historians of Artsakh State University referred to the different
stages of the Armenian genocide, including the crimes committed by
Azerbaijan against the people of Karabakh and the approaches of the
international community towards the issue. The report of the
researcher H. Harutyunian from Artsakh entitled `Armenian Massacres
According to Epitaphs on Tombstones in Shushi’ aroused great interest
among the scholars from Armenia. Themood dominating in the reports was
that we must seek for the recognition, condemnation and prevention of
the genocide and, of course, restitution. Along with this we must
pursue the international recognition of NKR as well. The conference
will make its contribution to the idea of unacceptability of genocide
and join the unalterable call for making the 21st century a century of
development and prosperity of nations.

AA.
25-04-2005