AZG Armenian Daily #092, 21/05/2005

Genocide…

‘GREEK NIGHTMARE’ ADDS TO ARMENIAN ONE

May 19 Declared ‘Commemoration Day of Greek Genocide in Pontos’

With unprecedented arrangements, Armenians all over the world
commemorated the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April
24th. The most impressive of all arrangements was the march of more
than 1.5 million Armenians to Tsitsernakaberd. The international
conference in Yerevan held those days was a significant event as it
added scientific meaning to the anniversary.

What was also unique in this conference is the participation of two
scientists from Turkey – Murad Belge and Baskin Oran. Unprecedented
were the sympathies of the Turkish Union of Human Rights to the
Armenian people on occasion of the 90th anniversary.

Among the organizations that visited Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial
were Germany’s TODAY, Turkey-Germany Union of Human Rights Protection,
Confederation of Workers from Turkey in Europe and International
Federation of Cultural Exchange. PSD, Liberty Party of Dersim,
released a statement condemning “The Armenian Genocide in either
Ottoman or post-Kemal Turkey”.

While official Turkey is seeking to curb initiatives directed at
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the Greeks in
Thessalonica organize a rally on May 19 demanding “recognition of
genocide of Greeks of Pontos”. Then, according to Anatolu agency, the
protesters moved to the Turkish consulate in Thessalonica to hand their
written demand in. It must be noted that May 19 is celebrated in Turkey
as Ataturk Commemoration, Youth and Sports Day as that very day in
1919 Mustafa Kemal Ataturk left Istanbul secretly and set foot in the
Black Sea city of Samsun and launched the Turkish War of Liberation.

Nikos Chiarchionis, minister of Macedonia-Thrace, said in his address
to the crowd gathered at city square that ,”The Pontos genocide
is one of the dark pages of world history, thus it should receive
international acknowledgement together with the genocides of Armenians
and Jews”.

Following Chiarchionis’ speech, Thessalonica mayor Vasilis
Papayorgopulos said that the Municipality took a decision of erecting a
“monument to the genocide of Greeks of Pontos”. Deputy foreign minister
of Greece, Panayotis Skandalakis, issued a statement informing that
19 May is a turning point in Greeks’ history, they do not forget those
banished from their homeland. “Exile is an incurable wound. Historic
memory cannot be distorted. But the past should be no barrier for
the future”, he continued.

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis is said to have sent a note
to the Greek unions of Pontos “on occasion of commemoration of Greek
genocide in Pontos”. We are now to wait for Turkey’s comeback.

By Hakob Chakrian