ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION CALLS ON WORLD PARLIAMENT TO RECOGNIZE AND CONDEMN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
YEREVAN, April 21, /ARKA/. The National Assembly of Armenia has adopted
a resolution today at an emergency session calling on the parliaments
of the world to recognize and condemn the Armenian genocide committed
by the government of the Ottoman Turkey in the final years of World
War I. The resolution was backed by all 131 members of the parliament.
“Guided by the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 9 December 1948, the law of
the Supreme Council of the Soviet Armenian Social Republic on the
Condemnation of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkey in 1915
of November 22, 1988, emphasizing the Pan-Armenian Declaration on the
100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the contribution of the
Armenian people together with the international community to the fight
against crimes against humanity, appreciating the parliaments of the
countries, which recognized the Armenian Genocide and the countries
which adopted laws condemning the denial of genocide, the National
Assembly of Armenia calls on the parliaments of all countries and
nations to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman
Turkey as a crime committed against humanity,” the resolution states.
The resolution is authored by members of parliament from Heritage,
Prosperous Armenia, Republican, Orinats Yerkir, and the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation parties.
The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the twentieth century.
According to Armenian and many other historians, up to 1.5 million
Armenians were killed starting in 1915 in a systematic campaign by
the government of Turkey. Turkey has been denying it for decades.
The Armenian genocide was recognized by tens of countries. The first
was Uruguay that did so in 1965. Other nations are Russia, France,
Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden,
Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina,
43 U.S. states. It was recognized also by the Vatican, the European
Parliament, the World Council of Churches and other international
organizations. M.V. -0-