ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF BULGARIA MARKS 91ST ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 27 2006
SOFIA, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian community
of Bulgaria marked on April 24 the 91st anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. Events took place in Sofia, Plovdiv, Rousee, Varna and
a number of other settlements populated by Armenians. Liturgies
were celebrated in Armenian churches of those cities and wreaths
were laid to monuments to the Genocide victims. Besides, mourning
processions took place in Sofia and Varna. Representatives of the
Armenian community made speeches during the events. On April 13 the
Community Council of the city of Plovdiv respected with one minute
silence the memory of the Genocide victims. Deputy Chairman of the
Community Council Stephan Shivachev called on the People’s Assembly
and Government of Bulgaria to officially recognize the Armenian
Genocide and condemn it as a crime against the mankind. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, opening of a new monument dedicated to the memory of the
Genocide victims took place in Varna. The monument is placed near
the Mayor’s Office and also expresses the Armenian people’s gratitude
towards the Bulgarian people. Varna Mayor Kiril Yordanov, Chairman of
the local Armenian Church Council Tagvor Vardanian, famous Bulgarian
soloist Tsvetan Tsvetkov made speeches at the opening. Wreaths were
also laid to the monement by the Consulates of Russia, Ukraine and
Poland functioning in Varna. Events taken place in Bulgaria were
widely covered by local mass media.