PRESS RELEASE
Contactperson: Mr. Hagop Khatcherian
Armenian Relief Society of Stockholm, Sweden (HOM)
E-mail: homstockholm@yahoo.se
Tel: +46707461495
Sweden’s Armenians pay tribute to the memory of the victims of Genocide
Stockholm.- Almost one fifth of the tiny Armenian community, 800
Swedish Armenians from all over Sweden were gathered on the 24th of
April, at ABF HUSET in central Stockholm in order to commemorate the
memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Two-thirds of the Armenian population perished between 1915 and
1923. As a minority, living in the Ottoman Empire in their historical
homeland, their call for the application of the lofty principles of
liberty, equality and fraternity, as well as safeguarding of human
rights, fundamental freedoms and rule of law, led to their death
sentence.
Today, survivors and their successors, living within and outside the
Armenia expect that the world¹s recognition of the universality of
those same noble principles will lead to recognition that Genocide was
committed against Armenians.
The key speaker of the day was Dr. Ashot Alexanian , Minister
Counsellor at the Armenian Embassy in Vienna who made his speech both
in English and Armenian. Addressing the enthusiastic audience of
young and old, he said in his message:
“On behalf of all principles and values of human rights, human dignity
and fundamental freedoms, for the defence of which Armenians have paid
their own life, even more – losing their historical homeland -, like a
biting irony of history, nowadays Turkey wants to become a member of
western community, proclaiming and safeguarding the same values.
Armenia and Armenians worldwide cannot drop, forget or deny the
Genocide of 1915, perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire, against the,
residing in its historical homeland. All Armenians – in Armenia and
Diaspora – more or less are engaged in the matter of Genocide
recognition by the world community”.
Talking about the relations of Armenia and Turkey the Guest speaker
counsellor Dr. Ashod Alexanian affirmed in his speech that “Regardless
of historical realities, difficulties, even animosities, the two
peoples are destined to live next door to each other. The
establishment of relations will make it possible by freely,
democratically, discuss even those difficult issues that have been
inherited from the past. There are hardly any two neighbouring
countries in the world, which don’t have difficult historical issues
between them. Yet, none of these has resulted in closed borders.”
Furthermore he demanded “Turkish recognition of Armenian Genocide has
to be involved in the basic document of the EU-New Neighbourhood
comprehensive program, as an indispensable precondition of
implementation of regional security, aiming at boosting cooperation
among the involved countries. The best example for this is the
creation of European Union and the historical experience of
establishment of after-war Europe.”
The second guest speaker was Prof. David Gaunt, a british scholar
working at the Södertorns University in Stockholm. Dr. David Gaunt
exposed in details the circomstances under which the Genocide became
possible to execute. He concluded his words with the absolute
necessity of pressure applied by the international public opinion on
the Turkish society in order to achieve recognition.
On the program was scheduled a performance by ARMCHOROUS, the Moscow
Armenian chamber chorus of the State Philharmonic Society of Armenia
lead by composer and conductor Arshag Gadzian.
On this occasion both the Assyrian and Kurdish communities had sent a
greeting letter which was read to the public. The letters expressed
words of sympathy and solidarity with the Armenian People in their
struggle for Justice. Sweden hosts a 60 000 strong community of
Assyrians, while the Kurdish community counts as much as 50 000.