Armenian memorial service pays tribute to victims of Greek genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - Deputy parliament speaker Eduard Sharmazanov, Greek ambassador to Armenia Ioannis Taghis and MPs were among the participants of the Thursday, May 19 ceremony in Yerevan's Armenian Genocide memorial, honoring the memory of the Pontic Greeks that perished at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in early 20th century.

May 19 has been selected by the Greek parliament as the day to commemorate the Pontic Greek Genocide by the Turks.

Addressing the journalists, Sharmazanov said some 500,000 Greeks were murdered in 1915.

“Armenia on March 24, 2015 recognized the genocide of the Greek people in the Ottoman Empire,” the deputy parliament speaker said.

“Turkey continues with its denialist policy and criminal activities, supporting the Islamic State, blockading Armenia and backing Azeri hostilities, including those unleashed during the 4-day war. Unless the butchers are punished, there’s always a threat for new genocides.”

Sharmazanov urged the world to take a collective stance in condemning genocides and struggling against Turkey’s denialism.