A resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide was introduced in the Federal Senate of Brazil on May 26. The  was introduced by senators Aloizio Nunes Fereira Filio and Jose Serra, reports.
The draft resolution expresses its “solidarity with the Armenian people during the course of the centenary of the campaign of extermination of its population” and states that “the Senate recognizes the Armenian Genocide, whose centenary was marked on April 24, 2015.”

James Onnig Tamdjian, representative of the Armenian National Committee of Brazil, said that the project “has a great support from Senators and hopefully in the near future, the Brazilian Senate will vote this proposal, which will be historic for all Armenians and their descendants in Brazil”. Onnig Tamdjian also expressed his hope that “the Senate would continue its support to formalize the decision soon.”

“To honor the victims and recognize the contribution to economic, social and cultural formation of Brazil of the thousands of Brazilians descendants of Armenian refugees, we emphasize that no genocide must not be forgotten so that it does not happen again,” reads the text.

The draft highlights the “need for a racial cleansing to make Turkey, then multiracial, a uniformly Turkish nation.” In addition, it denounces the “systematic denial, pressure and intimidation against those who try to reconstruct historical events”.

“The policy of extermination is so far denied by the Turkish government,” reads the draft resolution, and then cites the cases of recognition from “a growing number of countries,” including “Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela” in Latin America, as well as “European countries,” the European Parliament and, more recently, Germany and Pope Francis.

“It is estimated that at least 100,000 descendants of Armenians live in Brazil, mostly in Sao Paulo. They are Brazilians whose ancestors had to leave their homeland to escape the genocide. In Brazilian lands they could restart their lives, build families and contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of our country.”

“The Brazilian government, unfortunately, has not yet recognized the Armenian Genocide,” although the legislatures of Ceará and Parana did. “In 2015, the State of Sao Paulo instituted April 24 as the Day of Recognition and Remembrance of Victims of the Genocide of the Armenian people,” concludes the project., social and cultural development of our country.”