Paris-based Turkish NGOs to commemorate Armenian Genocide

April 24, 2015 - 13:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Paris-based Turkish NGOs will gather near the Komitas monument on April 25 to pay tribute to Armenian Genocide victims and call on Turkey to recognize the Genocide, Ermenihaber.am reports.

The event is initiated by Turkey’s Compatriots’ Union, the president of which, Umit Metin, said that the initiative aims to address Turkey, calling for the country’s democratization and acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide.

Metin also noted that the number of Turkish participants will be small this year, but will increase with the coming years.

One of the initiators of the event, Turkish professor Ahmet Insel drew special attention to the fact that the number of Diasporan Armenians who speak in favor of dialogue with Turks grows.

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.