ARMENIAN SCHOLAR COMMENTS ON IRANIAN LEADER’S FAILURE TO VISIT
GENOCIDE MEMORIAL
10/24/07
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from BBC Monitoring
Text of report by Armenian news agency Arminfo
Yerevan, 23 October: Historian Hayk Demoyan, director of the Armenian
Museum and Institute of Genocide, does not think that Iranian
President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad’s refusal to pay a visit to the Armenian
Genocide Memorial is due to his personal position on the known
historical event.
In remarks to Arminfo, he said: "I don’t think that the refusal to
visit the memorial is due to the Iranian president’s position on the
Armenian genocide. It should be taken into account that he is the
leader of a Muslim state, and this is a delicate issue," Demoyan said.
He, however, mentioned that there were precedents when high-ranking
Iranian officials, such as former President Mohammad Khatami, visited
the memorial.
"Therefore, it would not be a problem if Mahmud Ahmadinezhad visited
the memorial either," Demoyan said.
Editor’s Note: Source: Arminfo, Yerevan, in Russian 0656 gmt 23 Oct 07
Source: