ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LASTED FOR 30 YEARS, AUTHOR SAYS
Armenpress
Apr 24 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS: Victims and survivors of the Armenian
Genocide were honored Saturday in Nicosia, Cyprus. Local Armenians led
by their church leaders demanded that Turkey recognize the genocide
its predecessor had committed. A liturgy was also served at the local
Armenian church.
Armenians in Washington, USA began a 91-hour rally on April 22 in
front of Turkish embassy demanding that USA and Turkey acknowledge
the genocide. On April 22 some 100 New York-based Turks and Azeris
held an anti-Armenian rally on Times Square claiming that there was no
Armenian genocide. Armenians in Holland marked the 91-st anniversary
of the genocide by a rally in front of the Turkish embassy in the
Hague and marching then to the parliament building. A letter urging
the Dutch parliament to pass a genocide recognizing resolution was
handed to parliament officials.
A conference on the genocide was organized by Armenians in Cairo,
Egypt. Also a tree-planting event was to take place in Slovakia as a
way to honor the victims of the Armenian genocide.-0- The residents
of Stepanakert, the capital city of the Nagorno-Karabakh republic,
honored today morning the memory of the victims of the Armenian
genocide. Its leadership, led by president Arkady Ghukasian and the
head of the Karabakh diocese of the Armenian Church, laid wreaths to
the Genocide Memorial and a church service was conducted. Speaking to
journalists, Arkady Ghukasian expressed hope that more nations will
recognize officially the first genocide of the last century in 2006.
Nagorno-Karabakh parliament chairman Ashot Ghulian said ‘the wall
of silence over the genocide has collapsed and more countries will
recognize it.” He said authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh are eager to
contribute to the efforts for its international acknowledgment. An
author and publicist Zory Balayan told reporters today the Armenian
genocide did not last from 1915 to 1923, but began earlier, in 1893
and lasted for almost 30 years. He said it was not only genocide but
forcing an entire nation our of his homeland in which it lived for
thousands of years.
Ozgal Jan, a representative of the European Turkish Workers party,
said today in Yerevan, he was bending his head before the 1.5 million
victims of the genocide. He added nations should do everything
possible not to allow it repeat again. Ozgal Jan has come to Armenia
to specially pay homage to the genocide victims. He had to flee his
native Turkey to Germany for his political views. He said not only
Armenians, but thousands of Assyrians and Greeks had been slaughtered
together with Armenians.
He said his party works to help Armenians and Turks in Europe establish
contacts. His party contacts regularly with many European Armenian
organizations.