UNION OF ARMENIANS IN RUSSIA: ARMENIAN CAUSE CAN BE SOLVED FINALLY IF ONLY TURKEY REPENTS OF CRIME IT COMMITTED

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 23, 2009
YEREVAN

On the occasion of the Commemoration Day of the 1915 Armenian
Genocide victims the Union of Armenians in Russia spread a statement,
which read:

"Proceeding from the Panturkism ideology the Turkish authorities
replacing each other from 1895 carried out systematic extermination
of Armenian population in Ottoman Empire wishing to annihilate
the Christian people, which living in its historic territory in
Western Armenia persistently resisted all attempts of turkization
and was perceived by Turkey’s rulers as an undesirable element being
a barrier in the way of Turkey’s invading into Russia’s boundaries
for the purpose of tearing away certain regions from it.

The massacre and slaughter of Armenians became especially large
as World War I started. Blaming Armenians for sympathizing with
Russia waging war with it, the Turkish authorities on April 24
1915 arrested and then barbarically killed more than 800 most
distinguished representatives of the nation: parliament deputies,
writers, scientists, big entrepreneurs. Beheading the people, the
Turks launched a mass massacre and banishment of Armenians from
their historic homeland. They did not have mercy on either women or
old men and children. More than 1.5 million people became victims
of the Genocide lasting up to 1923. The rest saving themselves from
inevitable death received the unenviable fate of refugees spreading
all over the world. A whole country with its towns and villages became
deserted, and the Armenian people was deprived of the main part of
its homeland, which with its territory is larger than the current
Republic of Armenia almost ten-fold.

Turkish rulers boastfully stated that they finally solved the Armenian
Cause, and Hitler is known to cite their actions as an example calling
for annihilating the Jews and other peoples. However, in spite of huge
losses the Armenian people is not broken, and in all these years the
Armenian Cause is as before on the agenda. In modern conditions it
can be solved finally if only Turkey repents of the crime it committed
and strains all efforts to liquidate its consequences.

Every year Armenians in the whole world mark April 24 as the
Commemoration Day of Armenian Genocide victims and express protest
against Turkey’s unwillingness to recognize the crime it committed. We
are not alone in our struggle. Every year new and new countries with
official documents of state level condemn the committed and recognize
it as an act of genocide. Their number has already reached 20, and
Russia was one of the first ones. The State Duma Statement adopted
in 1995 read that annihilation of the brotherly Armenian people in
its historic homeland was committed in order to create conditions
for destroying Russia.

The Armenian people seeks to establish constructive relations with
the Turkish people, but the Turkish state should officially recognize
the evident and restore historic justice for these relations to
become possible.

There is no pardon without repentance, there is no good neighborly
relations without confidence."