NO JUSTIFYING MASS KILLINGS OF PEOPLE – VLADIMIR PUTIN

14:24 * 24.04.15

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech at the Memorial
to Armenian Genocide victims on the occasion of the 100th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide.

He particularly said:

Dear friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am grateful to President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan for his invitation
to participate in the commemorative events.

We sincerely sympathize with the Armenian people that experienced one
of the most appalling tragedies in human history. Over 1.5 million
civilians were killed and crippled, and over 600,000 were expelled
from their homes and were subjected to mass persecutions. Numerous
invaluable architectural monuments and spiritual holy places were
destroyed, ancient books and invaluable manuscripts were burned.

The entire world was shocked by the 1915 events and Russian perceived
them as its own grief. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians found refuge
in the Russian empire and were saved.

It was Russian diplomacy that had the violence against the Armenian
people internationally recognized. On Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Sazonov’s initiative Russia, France and Great Britain – the French
president has just recalled the fact – in their joint statement called
the events a crime against humanity and civilization.

The friendly Russian and Armenian peoples’ relations have always been
marked by special affinity and mutual support. It was the case during
the dramatic events a hundred years ago, during Great Patriotic War
and during the devastating earthquake in Spitak.

And we are mourning together with the Armenian people today.

In hundreds of Russian cities – I would like to stress it, dear friends
– in hundreds of Russian cities more than 2,000 commemorative events
will take place. Not only representatives of the Armenian community
which has about three million members, but also tends of thousands
of people of other national groups will take part in them.

Russia’s position remains unchanged: there is no justifying mass
killings of people.”