GENOCIDE 100: SENIOR OFFICIAL PRESENTS APRIL 22-24 SCHEDULE OF COMMEMORATION EVENTS

GENOCIDE | 24.03.15 | 11:56

Chief of Presidential Staff Vigen Sargsyan, who is also coordinator
of the events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, presented the schedule of April 22-24 arrangements as he
spoke on the Public Television of Armenia recently.

According to Sargsyan, on April 22-23, Armenia is going to host an
international forum “Against the Crime of Genocide” to be attended
by about 500 scholars, politicians, public and religious figures.

A ceremony of canonization of the victims of the Ottoman-era Genocide
is to be held in Holy Echmiadzin on April 23. The ceremony will
end at 19:15 (on the 24-hour clock) to symbolize the year of the
start of Turkey’s genocidal policy in which more than 1.5 million
Armenians were slaughtered. At that time, bells at Holy Echmiadzin
and all Armenian churches around the world will ring simultaneously
100 times to commemorate the centennial of the Genocide, followed
by observance of a minute’s silence. According to Sargsyan, many
non-Armenian churches also decided to join the ceremony.

At 8:30 pm April 23, a System of a Down concert will be held in
Yerevan’s main Republic Square. Attendance at the concert will be
free for public. It is remarkably that SOAD members will gather for
the first time in years for the concert commemorating the Genocide
Centennial.

The April 24 events will start with a Genocide commemoration ceremony
at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in the morning. It will
be followed by the ceremonial opening of an updated display at the
Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. A concert of the joint Symphony
Orchestra will be held in Yerevan’s Republic Square in the evening. As
many as 140 musicians from 70 countries of the world are expected to
take part in the concert.

According to Sargsyan, commemoration of the Genocide Centennial will
not be limited to the mentioned period only as numerous events are
planned to be held after April 24.