HULIQ, NC
Nov 3 2007
Armenian Genocide Monument to be Unveiled in Wales
Several hundred Armenians from across the United Kingdom will gather
at the Temple of Peace, Cardiff at 1.00 p.m. on Saturday for the
unveiling of the first public monument to the Armenian Genocide in the
UK.
Permission has been granted by the United Nations Association Wales
and the monument will stand on land owned by the National Assembly of
Wales. The monument will be unveiled by the presiding officer of the
National Assembly, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas and the Armenian
Ambassador, Dr Vahe Gabrielyan.
Welsh and Armenian choirs as well as Armenian dancers will take part
in the unveiling. Canon Patrick Thomas, a well-known Welsh writer,
will speak on the topic of "Armenia and Wales" and Mike Joseph, a
highly respected Welsh-Jewish historian and academic will speak about
Member of Parliament Aneurin Williams, the Welsh lobbyist for Armenia
in Parliament during the time of the Genocide. Prayers will be said in
Welsh, Armenian and Aramean.
The Monument is a "thank you" to the people of Wales for the
Recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the political cultural and
religious representatives of the nation.
Wales has distinguished itself by being the first country within the
UK to recognize the Armenian Genocide at both national and regional
levels.
This event is unique for a number of reasons. This is the first time a
plot of land has been allocated in a public area within the UK for a
memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
The stone is Welsh, the design is Armenian, the stonemason is Welsh
and the inscription is by the hand of a Bishop of the Armenian
Apostolic Church. The commemorative words are in Welsh, Armenian and
English.