Moldovan parliament to consider Armenian Genocide recognition

October 16, 2019 - 14:27 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - A legislative initiative will be introduced in the Moldovan parliament to recognize the Armenian Genocide, lawmaker Hayk Vartanyan told a hearing on the appointment of several ambassadors on Tuesday, October 15, Accent TV reports.

At a meeting of the parliamentary commission on foreign policy and European integration, Vartanyan voiced a question for Dmitry Kroitor, nominated as a candidate for the post of the Moldovan ambassador to Turkey.

The question was asked in the context and in continuation of the previous question of the members of the parliamentary commission regarding the candidate’s attitude to the Turkey's military campaign in Syria.

Vartanyan, who is also the Chair of the Armenian Community of the Republic of Moldova, said that one of the key points of disagreement between Turkey and the EU is the fact that the Turkish government denies the Armenian Genocide.

“Given the fact that soon a legislative initiative will be introduced in the Moldovan parliament to recognize the Armenian Genocide and Moldova may join most countries of the European Union, as well as the Russian Federation, which have already recognized this fact, this may entail negative reaction from the Turkish government”, he said.

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.