ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Thursday


The RA Parliament`s special commissions approved the project "On
Genocide Actions against Yezidis on the Territories of Iraq Controlled
by Terrorist Groupings"

Yerevan January 11

Ani Mshetsyan. The Commission on Foreign Relations and European
Integration of the Armenian Parliament unanimously approved the draft
statement on "Genocide actions against Yezidis on the territories of
Iraq controlled by terrorist groups."

As the deputy from the ruling Republican Party and the Yezidi
community of Armenia, Rustam Mahmudyan stated during the commission
meeting, the genocidal actions against the Yezidis of Iraq can not be
qualified otherwise than as a crime against humanity. RPA MP Shirak
Torosyan said that the issue was submitted for discussion with a
significant delay, and that the text of the statement should indicate
the number of victims and victims of the actions of militants.

Secretary of the parliamentary faction Tsarukyan Vahe Enfiazjyan noted
that the actions that were committed against the Yezidis are, beyond
any doubt. a genocide, and this fact must be recognized.

Meanwhile, RPA deputy Artashes Geghamyan said that the adoption of
such a statement is somewhat risky, as it puts, in Geghamian's
opinion, into questioning the existence of statehood in Iraq. "Armenia
and Iraq are linked by long-standing friendly relations, and the
authorities of this country have always positively treated the
representatives of the Armenian community," the deputy said,
suggesting adding a provision on the support of friendly Iraq by
Armenia. The MP also noted that such issues should not simply appeal
to the international community, but to the UN Security Council. In
addition, Geghamyan suggested replacing the phrase "genocidal actions"
with the term "genocide" in the text of the statement.

The head of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, RPA
Vice-President Armen Ashotyan, responding to Geghamyan, said that this
issue was repeatedly discussed with experts-genocide experts and
specialists in international law who stated that the term "genocide"
can only be used in If this crime was carried out by a certain state
in relation to one or another nationality. "Since ISIS is a terrorist
organization, it's rather difficult to evaluate its actions against
the Yezidi people from the point of view of international law. We de
jure and de facto condemn this crime," explained Ashotyan,
nevertheless, having agreed to the introduction of some changes in the
text of the statement. The Yezidi community of Armenia earlier raised
the issue of the need to recognize the "Yezidi genocide" by the
parliament of Armenia, not only in Iraq, but also in Ottoman Turkey in
the early 20th century. However, the Armenian parliamentarians
considered that in order to recognize the "Yezidi genocide" in Ottoman
Turkey, there were not enough facts, and decided to wait for
recognition of the "genocide" in Iraq, which caused a backlash from
the Yezidi community. Nevertheless, RA President Serzh Sargsyan raised
the issue of the massacre of the Yezidis in Iraq from the UN tribune
and stressed the need for their international protection.