Assyrian genocide monument unveiled in AthensOctober 21, 2014 - 14:52 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An Assyrian genocide monument was unveiled in Athens, Greece, where 8,000 Assyrians live. The monument is a memorial for the Assyrian victims of the Turkish genocide of Christians in World War One, which claimed 750,000 Assyrians (75%), 1.5 million Armenians and 500,000 Pontic Greeks, AINA reported. Four hundred people, including members of the Assyrians, Greek and Armenian communities, as well as representative from the Armenian embassy attended the ceremony. The current and former mayor of Athens formally dedicated the monument. The president of the Assyrian Union of Greece, Kyriakos Betsaras, opened the ceremony. The Director of the Assyrian Genocide Research Center, Sabri Atman, and the former Mayor of Egaleo were the keynote speakers. Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks cooperate on the issue of the Turkish genocide. In 2010 a conference was held in the Greek Parliament and was titled “Three genocides, One Strategy.” The discussion to erect the monument began over three years ago with the previous mayor of Egaleo. It was a little over a year ago when the municipal council accepted the Assyrian Union of Greece's request for a monument to commemorate the victims of the Assyrian Genocide. The Assyrian Genocide monument in Athens is the 9th genocide monument to be erected in the world. Monuments have been erected in: Jonkoping, Sweden; Liege, Belgium; Arnouville, France; Yerevan, Armenia; Fairfield, Australia; Wales, United Kingdom; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois. Photo: AINA Related links: Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. Ex-President: Only removal of “defeatist” rulers can save Armenia Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Pashinyan: We must stop searching for homeland, we have found that homeland Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. |