HOMAGE TO THE MEMORY OF SUMGAYIT VICTIMS
armradio.am
28.02.2008 17:55
Deputies of the National Assembly, intellectuals, representatives
of the Supreme Body of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun and "Nikol Aghbalyan"
Students’ Union visited Tsitsernakaberd today to pay homage to the
memory of the victims of the Armenian massacres in Sumgayit carried
out on February 28, 1988. Participants of the procession laid wreaths
at the memorial to the victims of Sumgayit pogroms.
Member of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction Artashes Shahbazyan noted
in his speech that although 20 years have passed, this event has
not received a proper assessment from the international community
and international organizations. "We again face the phenomenon when
dual standards are applied and, unfortunately, these are directed
against us."
Head of the Migration Agency of RA Ministry of Territorial
Administration Gagik Yeganyan reminded that the flow of refugees
to Armenia started from Sumgayit. This was followed by the events
in Kirovabad and Baku, and Armenia hosted 360 thousand displaced
persons. In those years the society and the state did everything to
solve the urgent issues. "The Government managed to solve that big
problem in a short period of time. Today the Government continues to
address the issues of the refugees, implements programs targeted at
providing them with permanent shelters."
Writer and publisher Zori Balayan reminded that every year gathering
at Tsitsernakaberd, people show that nothing has been forgotten,
"since memory is also a weapon for us." "We don’t keep silent, and
won’t keep silent," he said.
The participants read out a declaration, which will be submitted to
the UN Security Council, the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the UN Secretary
General, the European Parliament, the European Union, the OSCE,
The President of Armenia and the Speaker of the National Assembly.