Еxpert: Armenians in Arab states can contribute to Genocide recognition

March 9, 2015 - 17:45 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian communities in Arab countries are able to play substantial role in recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the Islamic world, Arabic Studies expert Armen Petrosyan said on air of Sputnik-Armenia radio.

According to the expert, at present, Lebanon is the only Islamic state that recognized the Genocide, ARKA reports, citing Novosti-Armenia.

Petrosyan said the Armenian Genocide has been used recently, mainly in the Near East and North Africa, in Egypt and Syria in particular, in counteracting Turkey’s policy. But the possibility of their recognition is still vague, he said.

The expert said Armenian diplomatic tools are limited in the Arab Muslim world, particularly due to insufficient resources. Certain measures taken by the Armenian communities in these countries may help bring up the recognition issue, he said.

Yet, the final outcome will depend on many details, the stance of the neighboring countries, relations with Turkey, and etc., according to the expert. All this substantially reduces chances for recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Petrosyan said.

ARKA. Armenian communities in Arabic countries can contribute to genocide recognition in the Islamic world

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.