ARMENIA VOWS TO BOOST EFFORTS FOR ‘GENOCIDE’ RECOGNITION
Agence France Presse
April 24 2008
YEREVAN (AFP) — Armenia’s new president vowed Thursday to redouble
efforts to have mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire
recognised as genocide, a label staunchly rejected by Turkey.
Thousands gathered in the Armenian capital Thursday to commemorate
the massacres, which many countries have recognised as genocide,
a term at the heart of a bitter dispute between Armenia and Turkey.
Under bright sunshine, long lines of people climbed to a hilltop
memorial in Yerevan to mark the 93rd anniversary of the start of
killings, which took place between 1915 and 1923 and led to a mass
exodus of Armenians from what is now eastern Turkey.
Tens of thousands take part in the ceremony every year, including many
from Armenia’s widespread diaspora who travel to Yerevan for the event.
In an address at the ceremony, newly elected Armenian President Serzh
Sarkisian said his country would boost its efforts toward securing
international recognition of the killings as genocide, regardless of
Turkey’s objections.
"The republic of Armenia should double its efforts for the restoration
of historical justice. When it comes to condemning the genocide,
denial has no future, especially today when many countries around
the world have added their voices to the voice of truth," he said.
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian said in his address that the
massacres showed the need for Armenian unity — a clear reference to
post-election clashes last month between opposition supporters and
riot police that left 10 dead.
The opposition claims Serzh Sarkisian’s February election win was
rigged.
"We cannot be in safety and security if we are divided and
separated. We cannot prevent major disasters from recurring if we
fail to have a strong state," the prime minister said.
Despite the appeal, about 4,000 opposition supporters held a rally
as they marched to the memorial, chanting "Freedom" and whistling in
front of government buildings along the way.
They were joined at the memorial by former president and opposition
leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, who came second in February’s vote.
Ter-Petrosian and his supporters laid flowers and wreaths at the
memorial before dispersing peacefully.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen died in orchestrated
killings during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey says 300,000 Armenians and at least an equal number of Turks
were killed in civil strife when the Christian Armenians, backed by
Russia, rose up against the Ottomans.
The dispute has been a major obstacle in relations between Turkey and
Armenia, which have no diplomatic ties and whose border has remained
closed for more than a decade.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said this week that Turkey was
"open to dialogue" with Armenia’s new government "with the aim of
normalising Turkish-Armenian ties."
The controversy has also complicated relations between EU-aspirant
Turkey and many Western countries, especially those with large
ethnic-Armenian communities such as the United States and France.
Many taking part in Thursday’s ceremony called on Western countries
to pressure Turkey into recognising the massacres as genocide.
"I lost my entire family at the hands of the Turks," said 80-year-old
Srbuhi Pirumian. "The Turks have no place in Europe. They are
dangerous as long as they do not admit the reality of the genocide
and ask our forgiveness."
More than 20 countries, including Belgium, Canada, Poland and
Switzerland, have officially recognised the killings as genocide. In
2006, French lawmakers voted to make it a criminal offence to deny
that Armenians were victims of genocide.
But many countries, including Britain and the United States, refuse to
use the term to describe the events, mindful of relations with Turkey.
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee’s endorsement of a resolution
labelling the killings as genocide last October sparked fury in Ankara,
which recalled its ambassador to Washington.
Under intense pressure from the White House, the authors of the bill
later asked Congress not to hold a debate on the issue.