Thursday, 6 May, Latvian Saeima passed a declaration developed by the Foreign Affairs Committee on the genocide of Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire.

The parliament also had a project of the declaration prepared by several dozen deputies on the agenda of the 6 May meeting. This declaration was rejected in favour of the document prepared by the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Saeima deputy Romāns Naudiņš stressed during debates that parliaments that pass such declarations have to prepare them very carefully, because they cause long-reaching consequences. He objected to the fact that none of the declarations passed by other parliaments had been discussed with historians even though the core of the matter is an issue that has not been analysed by members of the parliament thoroughly enough.

Naudiņš proposed rejecting both declarations and compose a new one. According to him the parliament may prepare a new redaction of the declaration by autumn. According to him, the declaration should not forget about other peoples who died in those tragic events.

Aleksandrs Kiršteins from the National Alliance dived deeper into history and invited rejecting any announcements, adding that he does not understand why it is necessary to pass this declaration at all and why it should be done now.

Foreign Affairs Committee’s chairman Rihards Kols reported that for a couple of months the committee has held numerous discussions about the Armenian genocide, adding that all sides interested in this issue have been interviewed.

The document mentions it is important to remember the lives of the people who perished in the genocide committed by the Ottoman authorities – mass murder and forced relocation of Armenian nationals and activists that started in Constantinople 24 April 1915.

Latvian parliament referred to the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) and the European Parliament’s resolution recognizing these World War I events as genocide as defined in the UN Genocide Convention.

The Saeima stresses Latvia condemns all crimes against humanity and affirms its duty to recognize and remember these crimes to prevent their repetition.

In the document it is detailed that as a result of the actions committed by the Ottoman authorities many Armenian nationals were forcefully deported to other regions of the empire, which resulted in the loss of many lives due to famine, physical violence and killings.

The Saeima stresses that it honours the memory of all victims of the Armenian genocide and shows respect to the survivors and points out that open discussions of historical events are indispensable for the development of a healthy and mature democracy.