INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THEME OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FINISHES IN PRAGUE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 05 2006
PRAGUE, APRIL 5, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A conference dedicated
to the issue of the Armenian Genocide took place at the building
of the Senate of Czechia on April 4. The conference was held under
the patronage of Vaclav Havel, the former President of the Czech
Republic. Jaromir Stetina, a member of Senate, the upper chamber of
the Parliament of the Czech Republic and the “Armenian Club” public
organization initiated the one-day event. Senator Stetina, RA Deputy
Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian, Jan Carnogursky, the former Prime
Minister, former Justice Minister of Slovakia, world-known historian
Vahakn Dadrian from the U.S., Hilda Choboyan, the head of the ARF
Dashnaktsutiun Hay Dat Committee of Europe, Turk attorney Eldag
Uzcan, who was prosecuted in Turkey for studying and making public
facts of violation of the human rights and took refuge in Germany,
participated in the representative conference.
As Radio Liberty informs, Czech Senator Jaromir Stetina said that
following the example of Slovak partners (the Parliament of Slovakia
adopted the decision on recognizing the Armenian Genocide), Czech
legislators work out a document concerning the Armenian Genocide
which will be presented to discussion of the Parliament. The
Senator did not mention when the draft would be ready and what
contents it may have. “The one who forgets the past, is condemned
to survive it in future,” this idea was expressed almost in all the
speeches. Many of participants of the conference, including Mrs. Uzcan,
mentioned that Europe must demand of Turkey to recognize the crime
conducted towards the Armenians during the period of the Ottaman
Empire. Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia A.Kirakosian said that
the position of official Yerevan is unchanged: “Armenia is ready to
negotiate without pre-conditions and to cooperate with Turkey, but
will never leave the policy directed to international recognition
of the Genocide.” According to Arman Kirakosian, recognition of the
Genocide is a issue of the national security for Armenia. “If Turkey
recognizes what it did towards our people in the past, it will really
be a guarantee for us that we are safe that this country undertook
the obligation, and, factually, apologized for what not it but the
previous authorities did. I specially mentioned in my speech that
we are not against the people of Turkey, and the recognition is not
carried out against the Turk people,” the RA Deputy Foreign Minister
said to Radio Liberty.