Austrian parliament adopts statement condemning Armenian Genocide

April 21, 2015 - 16:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Austrian parliament on April 21 adopted a statement condemning the Armenian Genocide and calling on Turkey to face its past, Armenia Now reports citing CivilNet.

Peto Demirchian, a media relations officer for the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Hay Dat Committee of Europe, tells the news website that all six factions of the Austrian parliament signed up to the statement that also emphasizes the responsibility of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as an ally of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, in the Armenian Genocide.

Earlier, on Monday, it emerged that Germany, which was the other ally of Ottoman Turks and Austria-Hungary in the 1914-1918 war, also intends to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide this week.

According to Reuters, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her coalition will vote on April 24, the day marking the centennial of the Genocide, to declare the murders of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as “an example of genocide”.

More than two dozen states in the world have already recognized the Ottoman-era massacres and deportations of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide. The European Parliament last week called on Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and pave the way for “a genuine reconciliation” with Armenia.

Panorama.am: Ավստրիայի խորհրդարանը Հայոց ցեղասպանության վերաբերյալ հայտարարություն կքննարկի

Armenia Now. News from Austria: Ex-Ottoman ally recognizes Armenian Genocide

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.