Argentina’s Rio Gallegos names square after Genocide centennial

April 11, 2015 - 11:58 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Honorable Council of Rio Gallegos, in Santa Cruz, Argentina, resolved on Thursday April 9 to name a city square Centenary of Genocide Against the Armenian People. This is the first time a place in Argentina gets a name which explicitly speaks about the Armenian Genocide, along with the Square Monument to the Victims of the Armenian Genocide located in Caracas, Venezuela, Prensa Armenia reports.

On the same day, the House of Representatives of Santa Cruz unanimously passed a Provincial statement on recognition and adhesion to the Armenian Genocide Centennial activities, and also stressed the "provincial interest" of a photo exhibition organized by the Armenian National Committee of South America.

Alejandro Avakian, representative of the Armenian National Committee in Santa Cruz, stated that the efforts of the community and institutions that support their own are aimed to "isolate Turkey in its denial of the past".

This week, the House of Representatives of Argentina passed a statement that conveys "solidarity with the people and the Armenian community of Argentina to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Genocide on April 24".

Santa Cruz resolution adds to the previous recognitions of the Legislatures of the City of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Cordoba and Chubut that expressed their commitment and solidarity to the activities carried out by the Armenian community in Argentina.

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.