Austria officially recognizes Armenian Genocide

April 22, 2015 - 14:24 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - All six groups of the Austrian parliament, in presence of Armenia’s ambassador to Austria Arman Kirakossian as well as representatives of the Armenian community, adopted Wednesday, April 22, a joint statement recognizing and condemning the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

As a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter was told at the Austrian embassy in Yerevan, the move means that Austria has officially recognize the crime against humanity committed 100 years ago at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

The adoption comes after the German government announced its plan to “stand behind” a resolution affirming the Armenian Genocide, which will be voted on April 24. Bundestag is set to use the term Genocide in a resolution, and the government said it will support the motion sponsored by the ruling parties.

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.