PRESS RELEASE
The Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden
17 Marc 2010
Stockholm, Sweden
info@armeniska.se

To: Speaker of the Riksdag, Per Westerberg March 16, 2010

Honorable Mr. Speaker,

On behalf of our members, the Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden
would hereby express our appreciation for the Riksdag’s recognition of the
1915 genocide against Armenians, Assyrians/Syrians/Chaldeans, and Pontic
Greeks. However, this issue is far from being limited to these ethnic
groups, but concerns the entire humanity. Thus, it must be recognized
openly in order to aid the future generations to take preventive measures
against it.

Many years of silence have passed before the affected ethnic groups have
received a dignified recognition for their sufferings. The scholarship has
finally gathered enough information which proves the reality of the
genocide, which also lays as the basis for the recognition by some twenty
countries, to which the Swedish Riksdag now has joined. Let others follow
Your example.

The history is not negotiable and it is a matter of course that the
Riksdag has chosen to base its decision on the conviction regarding the
existing scholarly research. This was hardly the first time the issue of
recognition has been put on the Riksdag’s agenda. It has taken more than
ten years for the discussion to mature enough so that the Members of the
Parliament can feel convinced of the information in order to confirm it.
This is a sign of the fact that they have chosen to rely on the
accumulated research rather than writing their own version of the history.

We are assured that the decision will foremost promote democratic forces
inside and outside Turkey as well as the reconciliation process with
Armenia, since the truth does not patronize undemocratic forces just as
well as the fact that covering up of the truth will impossibly promote
democracy and reconciliation.

With kind regards,

Erebouni Arakelian
Charinwoman, The Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden
Stockholm, Sweden