The Independent (United Kingdom)
 Tuesday 4:59 PM GMT


Political enemies in Armenia come together to mark massacre by Ottoman Turks

Day after prime minister pushed out of office, government and
opposition mark 103rd anniversary

by Yuras Karmanau


Armenia's government and the country's opposition are putting their
differences aside Tuesday to mark the massacre of 1.5 million
Armenians a century ago by Ottoman Turks.

A day after the opposition succeeded in pushing the prime minister out
of office, Armenians across the country are commemorating the massacre
that began 103 years ago and which Armenians and many historians
consider to be genocide.

Turkey, successor of the Ottoman Empire, vehemently denies the claim
and insists that the massacre was part of hostilities around World War
I.

Armenia's acting prime minister and other officials laid flowers at a
hilltop memorial complex in Yerevan, the capital of the Caucasus
Mountains country, early Tuesday along with thousands of residents.

Leaders of the opposition and some 10,000 supporters marched to the
memorial later. Protesters carried the Armenian tricolor and chanted
the name of the protest leader Nikol Pashinian who was leading the
procession.

Read more

Celebrations in Armenia as prime minister quits after days of protests

Opposition supporters were celebrating the resignation of Prime
Minister Serzh Sargsyan on Monday after days of anti-government
protests.

"We need a change of government," said 43-year-old businessman Gregor
Adamyan. "We're tired of pressure and corruption of one clan."

The protests, which lasted 10 days, mostly focused on people's
frustration with the current authorities.

The coalition of the three parties leading the protest currently holds
just 7 per cent of the parliamentary seats and has not taken any stand
on relations with Russia, Armenia's key ally and economic donor.

Ties with Russia did not appear to be at the forefront of most
protesters, and many of those marching in Yerevan spoke favourably of
Russia.

Ruben Ter-Martirosyan, a 37-year-old unemployed man, wants to see a
more balanced relationship between the two former Soviet nations:

"Armenia needs to be a bridge between Russia and Europe, not a vassal
of the Kremlin."

Earlier Tuesday, a deputy Russian foreign minister earlier met with
the Armenian ambassador in Moscow. The ministry said Moscow is
following developments in Armenia closely and wishes the country a
smooth and peaceful political transition.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a statement on Tuesday
offered condolences "to the children and grandchildren of Ottoman
Armenians who lost their lives during World War I."

But in an apparent stab at Armenian authorities, he took the chance to
criticise "those who resort to create hatred, grudge and hostility by
distorting our common history."

Russia has recognised the massacre as genocide. US President Donald
Trump last year described it as "one of the worst mass atrocities of
the 20th century," but stopped short of calling it genocide.