Wales-Armenia Solidarity
Armenian-Welsh Friendship Society
Nor Serount Cultural association
[email protected]
0044 7718982732 (int.) 07718982732 (UK)
c/o The Temple of Peace, King Edward VII Ave, Cathays Park, Cardiff
First Minister of Wales Recognises the Armenian Genocide on Holocaust
Memorial Day, Cardiff
Yesterday, exactly two years after the desecration of our Armenian
Genocide Monument , was an historic day for the Welsh and Armenian
nations. The road to Genocide recognition, which began on 24th April
2001, when Rhodri Morgan, (then First Minister), laid flowers in memory
of the 1915 Genocide Victims, was completed in Cardiff with an explicit
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the new First Minister.
The National Holocaust Day event was supported by the government of
Wales (Welsh Assembly Government) and Cardiff City Council, the
municipality of Wales’ capital. The Genocide was also recognised at the
event by guest speaker Rabbi Aron Hier from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre,
Los Angeles. The sharp diplomacy of Mr. John Torosyan, the moving spitit
of the Welsh Armenian community was an imprtant factor in this
historic acheivement.
Later Armenians, Welsh people and Assyrian-Chaldean-Syriacs from the
Iraqi Christian Association of Wales laid flowers at the
beautifully-restored Armenian Genocide Monument behind the Temple of
Peace. One of the bouqes read "In memory of the
Assyrian-Chaldean-Syriac Victims of the 1915 Genocide,of the 1933 Simel
Massacres and of the 2003-2010 ethnic cleansing in Iraq". Fr Shnork
Baghdassaryan prayed at the Khatkar, and also took part at the Holocaust
ceremony earlier
Carwyn Jones belongs to the Labour Party , as does Gordon Brown,
Prime Minister of the UK who will now be under huge pressure following
this crack in the UK Labour ranks. This recognition will also send shock
waves through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, which has
been the architect of the Labour Party policy of supporting the Turkish
denialist position at all costs
It is noticable that while parliamnents throughout the World have
passed resolutions recognising the Genocide, this recognition is of more
signifigance as it comes from the government of Wales (in addition to
the past recognition by the National Assembly of Wales (2002) and the
Presiding Officer of the National Assembly (2007)
This is the first policy on an international issue created by the 10
year old Welsh government. It is supported by the quasi-totality of
Welsh Members of the UK parliament. This issue has been resolved even
though the size of the Welsh-Armenian community is under 40 people.
There is a history of pro-Armenian sentiment in Wales since the
1894-96 Massacres, when there was widespread outrage , public meetings
and collections for the Victims accross Wales
It is regrettable, though, that the Armenian government has still
not recognised Wales’ national status by the appointment of an Honorary
Council, or in some other way. It is also noted that Armenians in
England could play a more active role in the cause of UK Genocide
recognition, and are warmly invited to contact us. We also thank all
those Armenians world-wide for their expressions of solidarity when the
monument was desecrated in 2007.
Eilian Williams