Armenian opposition commemorates Armenian Genocide victims

April 24, 2011 - 17:20 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian National Congress (ANC) headed by its leader Levon Ter-Petrossian visited the Genocide Memorial in Tsitsernakaberd to commemorate the innocent victims of the tragedy.

ANC coordinator Levon Zurabyan characterized Turkey’s recognition of the Genocide as the most important aspect in the international recognition of the 1915 massacres. “Turkey won’t have a clear conscience until it recognizes the Genocide,” he stressed.

As he noted, the process of Turkey’s recognition is gaining impetus, with increasing quantity of Turkish youth and intellectual elite accepting the fact.

Zurabyan believes the Genocide Victims Commemoration Day’s matching the Easter Day must be regarded as a symbol of resilience of the country.

ANC coordinator noted the demolition of Armenia-Turkey friendship monument in Kars to be a temporary political process. Zurabyan expressed confidence about Turkey’s recognizing the Genocide sooner or later.

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.