Armenians of Kuban call on Krasnodar region legislative assembly to recognize Armenian Genocide

April 18, 2010 - 16:24 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - A conference of the Armenian Genocide was held in Slavyansk-on-Kuban town (Russia) on April 17, bringing together representatives of Armenian NGOs functioning in the region. A documentary on Genocide was screened, reported Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia.

Chairperson of the International Friendship Club of Slavyansk-on-Kuban Anaida Meltonyan, chairman of Hamshen Center, member of town council of Apsheronsk Artavazd Tulumjyan and editor-in-chief of Yerkramas newspaper, representative of the Armenian National Council of Western Armenia Tigran Tavadyan presented reports.

The event participants adopted a statement calling on legislative assembly of Krasnodar region to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

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.