YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, ARMENPRESS. On August 3 the Yazidis across the world pay tribute to the memory of thousands of Yazidis brutally killed by the Islamic State terrorist groups in Iraq in 2014.
On this occasion, Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia Ara Babloyan addressed a message which runs as follows:
“Dear Yazidis, today we once again bow to commemorate the innocent victims of the 2014 genocide committed against the Yazidi people in the territories of Iraq under the control of terrorist groups. On the day of 4th anniversary of that terrible crime, the Armenian people and leadership not only extend support to the brotherly Yazidi people, but also reaffirm their commitment to fight for condemning and preventing genocides.
It’s terrible, but a century later after the Armenian Genocide, an entire nation shared the fate of the Western-Armenians and was subject to massacres and deportations in their historical homeland due to national and religious belonging, like in 1915 when the Yazidi settlements of Vaspurakan, Erzurum, Mush, Kars and other provinces were abandoned in the Ottoman Empire.
We had the same fate, together lost a homeland, defended a homeland in Sardarapart, Bash-Aparan in May 1918 and again created Armenia. It’s our common home where all conditions exist for the welfare, development and protection of national and cultural identity of the Yazidi people and other nations living in Armenia.
That’s why Armenia was first to react the 2014 tragedy of the Yazidi people and urged in different platforms to take steps to stop this crime against humanity.
The Parliament of the Republic of Armenia recognized it as a genocide on January 16, 2018 and expressed solidarity to the Yazidi people, urged to investigate the crimes through international procedures, hold the perpetrators of international crimes accountable.
On behalf of the Parliament of Armenia and personally myself I express support to the whole Yazidi people, share your grief and bow before the memory of thousands of innocent victims.
I hope despite all trials the Yazidi people will continue to live, develop and create”.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan