RA MFA: TURKEY’S CAMPAIGN ON DISTORTING AND HIDING HISTORICAL FACTS HAS GONE TOO FAR

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
April 11 2007

The Turkish government believes it can hide the history from its
own nation; its campaign on distorting and hiding historical facts
has gone too far. The United Nations, bowing to Turkish protests,
has delayed the opening of the exhibit on the Rwanda Genocide, RA
acting FM Vardan Oskanian said, while commenting on the fact of the
exhibit’s postponement.

According to the information IA REGNUM received at the RA MFA Press
Office, in Vardan Oskanian’s words, opening of the exhibit, organized
by the Aegis Trust, had been postponed, as the Turkish mission had
specifically registered its objections to a reference in the exhibit
concerning the origin of the word "genocide," which had mentioned that
Raphael Lemkin, the international lawyer and human rights activist,
who had coined this term, had been influenced by the crimes committed
against the Armenians and other mass killings.

Vardan Oskanian underscored Raphael Lemkin’s work was a part of the
world history and international protocols, so it was inadmissible that
a country to enter the U.N. dared to demonstrate such intolerance
in the U.N. "It is unacceptable for Armenia that the world history,
present sufferings of the peoples of Rwanda and Darfur and Armenians’
recollections of injustice are cynically and coolly ignored", RA
acting FM stated.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress