From: Embassy of Armenia <armpublic@speakeasy.net>
Subject: Embassy of Armenia Commemorates Genocide Anniversary

PRESS RELEASE
April 27, 2006
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: armpublic@speakeasy.net ;Web:

Embassy of Armenia Commemorates Genocide Anniversary With a Remembrance
Event, Photo Exhibit

On April 26, 2006, the Embassy of Armenia hosted an event commemorating the
91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Over 500 Armenian Americans and
friends of Armenia, representing the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Armenian-American organizations and individual community members laid
flowers and wreaths at the khatchkar located on the Embassy premises.

A joint prayer service for the memory of the Genocide victims was conducted
by the pastors of St. Mary’s and Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Churches in
Washington, DC.

In his address, Ambassador Tatoul Markarian expressed appreciation for the
Genocide recognition efforts by the Armenian Diaspora throughout decades. He
noted that the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide remains on
Armenia’s foreign policy agenda. Stressing the importance of continuing
unified efforts of all the Armenian organizations on this issue, Ambassador
Markarian emphasized the significance of existence of the independent
Armenian statehood in achieving success in recognition of the Armenian
Genocide.

Also on April 24, the Embassy unveiled a photo exhibit on the Armenian
cultural and historical monuments outside of the modern-day Armenia. The
exhibit, prepared by the Research on Armenian Architecture, presents
photographic evidence of the systematic campaign to destroy the Armenian
cultural legacy in Turkey and Azerbaijan. In his remarks during the opening
of the exhibit, Ambassador Markarian expressed appreciation of the efforts
to study and collect documental evidence of the Armenian architectural and
historical monuments abroad. The Ambassador emphasized the urgency of the
need to preserve the Armenian architectural heritage in neighboring
countries, noting that this had been once more underscored by the recent
barbaric destruction of the Armenian khachkars in Nakhichevan.

The ten-day exhibit has already been attended by hundreds of
Armenian-Americans, as well as U.S. officials.