Argentina marks Armenian Genocide anniversary

April 24, 2016 - 16:46 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Argentina marked the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on Saturday, April 23 afternoon, with the President of the Senate, Federico Pinedo, and Jorge Macri, mayor of Vicente Lopez, Buenos Aires attending the commemoration ceremony, Prensa Armenia reports.

President Mauricio Macri sent a letter regretting not being able to attend. In his letter, he called for "everlasting memory of the victims, convinced that only respect for the highest values and principles will lead them to the road of peace and encounter."

Pinedo said in his speech that it was "essential to remember the Armenian Genocide and repudiate the facts and attitudes of persecuting others for belonging to other ethnic groups."

J. Macri, in turn, thanked the Armenian community for "building Argentina."

The Armenian ambassador, Alexan Harutiunian, announced that Armenia will give the City of Buenos Aires a statue of St. Gregory of Narek to be placed in the Armenia Square of Palermo neighborhood, as a symbol of friendship and gratitude to Pope Francis for having recognized the Armenian Genocide on April 12, 2015.

Also, in a speech on behalf of the Armenian community of Argentina, it was announced a request to the country's authorities "to require the implementation of measures designed to support the peace process and avoid truce fighting and loss of life of civilians and military" in Nagorno Karabakh.

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.