WWI Armenian memorial is unveiled
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/11/03 12:37:52 GMT
A memorial is being unveiled in Cardiff to commemorate hundreds of
thousands of Armenians who died in World War I.
Armenians say 1.5m were killed in the war, through systematic massacres
or starvation, and allege deliberate genocide by the Ottoman Turkish
empire.
But Turkey says there was no genocide, and there were massacres on both
sides.
The monument will stand in the gardens of the Temple of Peace on what
is said to be the UK’s first piece of public land donated for an
Armenian memorial.
Welsh assembly Presiding Officer Dafydd Elis-Thomas said Wales’s
relationship with Armenia "went back centuries".
He will receive a marble cross, or khatchkar, on behalf of Wales at the
unveiling ceremony.
Welsh interest
Lord Elis-Thomas will join members of the Armenian and Christian
communities on Saturday.
He said: "Wales’s relationship with one of the oldest states and the
oldest Christian church in the world goes back centuries.
"The fact that the funds for this fine memorial have been raised
entirely by the Armenians who live in Wales and that it will occupy a
special place here in the Temple of Peace, reflects the vibrant Welsh
interest in the history of Armenia."
The Welsh Centre for International Affairs, which is located at the
Temple of Peace, is a forum which seeks to promote human rights and
international understanding.
Steven Thomas, its director sad: "We’ve held events at the Temple of
Peace over the past seven years to note the Armenian genocide,
including parts of ceremonies we’ve held for National Holocaust
Remembrance Day in January each year. "
However, he said there had been a "much bigger response" to the
monument because the commemoration to the Armenians would literally be
set in stone.