Aznavour to arrive in Yerevan for Genocide centennial events

April 15, 2015 - 10:35 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Charles Aznavour will attend the Armenian Genocide centennial commemoration events in Yerevan, the world known chansonnier told Europe 1 French radio station.

Also, according to Le Parisien, Aznavour commented on the statement of Pope Francis who described the mass killing of Armenians 100 years ago as genocide.

As he noted, the statement can change a lot in the minds of people, otherwise the Turkish youth will rebel against those who’re keeping the truth concealed, unwilling to live with a mentality of prisoners.

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.