ARMENIANS MARK 93rd GENOCIDE ANNIVERSARY
ARMENPRESS
April 24, 2008
YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS: Hundreds of thousands of Armenians
from Armenia proper and its vast Diaspora went uphill today to the
Genocide Memorial in Yerevan to remember 1.5 million of their ancestors
killed brutally at the orders of the government of the Ottoman Turkey
from 1915-1923.
President Serzh Sarkisian, Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian, Parliament
Chairman Tigran Torosian, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II,
parliament and government members and other top government officials,
senior clergy and top army brass were the first to remember the
victims by visiting the Memorial and laying flowers to it. The heads
of foreign diplomatic missions in Yerevan were the next to lay wreathes
at the Memorial.
Armenia’s leadership, the senior clergy, guests paid their tribute
to the genocide victims by observing a minute of silence and laying
flowers at the Memorial. Catholicos Karekin II conducted a special
church service for the repose of the victims’ souls.
"There is no family in Armenia that would not mourn today with us,
there is no family that was not affected by this great tragedy-directly
or indirectly.
Therefore we have to learn a lesson from the history.
May God give us wisdom to do so, so that such tragedies never
happen again. I think we have to be as wise as to realize that the
only guarantee to avoid such crimes in future is to be strong and
united. May God give us intelligence to understand this simple truth,"
prime minister Tigran Sarkisian said to journalists after paying
tribute to Genocide victims.
Wreaths were laid at the Genocide Memorial on behalf of government
ministries and agencies, political parties, student unions and civic
society organizations.
Liturgies and special ceremonies of repose of souls of the victims
were held in Armenian churches across the globe.
Countries officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide include
Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy,
Lebanon, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden,
Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela.
Although part of the United Kingdom, Wales also officially recognized
the Armenian Genocide. The Parliament of the State of New South Wales,
Australia passed a resolution acknowledging and condemning the Armenian
Genocide in 1997.
International bodies that recognize the Armenian genocide include
the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the United Nations
Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of
Minorities, the International Center for Transitional Justice, the
International Association of Genocide Scholars, the Union of American
Hebrew Congregations, the World Council of Churches and the Permanent
Peoples’ Tribunal.
The Armenian genocide was recognized by about 40 states of the USA
and a U.S. House of Representatives Committee of Foreign Affairs. An
Armenian resolution was motioned by an Israeli parliament committee
earlier this year.