On 21st and 22nd of May the conference “Building Bridges: Promoting Dialogue to Prevent Radicalization and Violent Extremism” took place in the headquarters of the OSCE in Vienna. The OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and other high representatives of the organization were present.

Member and non-member countries of the OSCE were represented by their embassies, several organizations and NGO’s. Before discussions took place, experts from different fields spoke about the role of the media, education, religion and the youth.
Garo Chadoian, the representative of the Austrian Armenian Committee for Justice and Democracy, stressed the importance not only to fight religious extremism, but also nationalism, which was often the reason for terror and various genocides.

In his speech, he also emphasized, that the denial of the Armenian Genocide and the anti-Armenianism is still a part of the education system in the OSCE member country Turkey, which results in radicalization and violent extremism against Armenians and other minorities, the Austrian Armenian Committee for Justice and Democracy informs.

Chadoian added that the annihilation of the Armenian people in historical Western Armenia, or today’s eastern Turkey is the root problem which impact we can still see today.