Not a country should deny its history, especially Turkey aspiring to join EU

April 24, 2011 - 12:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - French tourists say they are well aware of the 1915 events from books and thanks to the large Armenian community of France.

“We are in Armenia for the first time and think it’s important to visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial to honor the memory of the Genocide victims,” they told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Asked whether they think that the Armenian Genocide recognition by Turkey is important, the guests from Marseille said: “Not a country should deny its history, especially if it wants to join the EU.”

24.04.11 - Genocide victims commemoration day

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.