GATHERING OF SIGNATURES FOR PUTTING NOTE CONDEMNING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ON AGENDA STARTS AT PARLIAMENT OF BULGARIA

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 26 2007

SOFIA, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A concert dedicated
to memory of the Armenian Genocide victims took place on April 22 at
the Chamber Hall of the Bulgaria central concert hall of Sofia. The
event was organized by the RA Embassy to Bulgaria and the Sofia
General Benevolent Union.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press
and Information Department, the Coordination Council of Armenian
Organizations of Sofia initiated on late April 23 a mass meeting with
torch-lights at the Armenian National Club of Sofia. Representatives
of the Armenian community of Bulgaria as well as RA Ambassador to
Bulgaria Sergey Manasarian made speeches at the event at which about
100-120 people were present. A mass meeting was held on April 24 at
the Armenian graveyard of Sofia. Both representatives of the Armenian
community and political and public figures of Bulgaria were present
at the mass meeting.

Similar mass meetings also took place in Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. All
the events dedicated to the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
were widely covered by the Bulgarian press and television as well.

At Parliament Speaker Georgi Pisinski’s proposal, the People’s Assembly
of Bulgaria started its regular sitting on April 25 with one-minute
silence in memory of the Armenian Genocide victims.

Then deputy Boyko Vatev made a speech from the tribune of the
parliament of Bulgaria and presented a Declaration of his Bulgarian
People’s Union deputy group condemning and recongizing the Armenian
Genocide and at the same time demanded that it is adopted by the
parliament.

Another similar declaration condemning the Armenian and Bulgarian
genocide was read at the parliament by other deputies as well.

A gathering of signatures for putting the Declaration condemning
and recognizing the Armenian Genocide, and, correspondingly, for
involving it in the vote procedure started at present at the Parliament
of Bulgaria.