Greek President calls on Turkey to recognize Armenian GenocideNovember 6, 2019 - 12:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos called on Turkey to recognize for past regimes’ crimes against the Armenians and the Greeks, in a message following his meeting in Yerevan with President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian on Tuesday, November 6. Greece “would like to convey to Turkey, our friend and neighbor, that it would be in its own interest and it would raise its international standing if it issued a courageous expression of apology for crimes against humanity that its past leaders foolishly committed against the Armenians and the Greeks,” Pavlopoulos said. He also added that “we Greeks welcome the fact that the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide is spreading significantly, culminating in the very recent resolution of the US House of Representatives in the United States.” He also noted that Greece recognized the genocide in 1996 and established April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, while in 2014 it outlawed Armenian genocide deniers. Conversely, he said, in 2015 the Republic of Armenia’s plenary recognized the Genocide of Greeks of Pontus. The Greek president reiterated that Greece seeks friendship and good neighborhood relations with Turkey, and supports its accession to the EU, but this implies respecting international law and European legality. He condemned Turkey’s intervention in Syria and reiterated that the Cyprus issue is an international and EU issue. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |