FIRST MINISTER OF WALES RECOGNIZES THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Panorama.am
18:14 28/01/2010
Yesterday, exactly three years after the desecration of our Armenian
Genocide Monument , was a 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 recognized 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 spirit of the Welsh Armenian community was an important factor
in this historic achievement.
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 preyed at the Khachkar, 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 noticeable that while parliaments throughout the World have
passed resolutions recognizing the Genocide, this recognition is
of more significance 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 across Wales.
It is regrettable, though, that the Armenian government has still not
recognized 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.