Tragic events of the past mustn't be forgotten

PanARMENIAN.Net - The 1909 massacres in Adana marked the beginning of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, Armenian historian, UCLA Professor Richard Hovhannisyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. "We must not forget Adana massacre victims. It is one of the black pages of our history, and we mustn't forget about it. We ought to raise our future generation in that spirit."



R. Hovhannisyan said that the ongoing dialogue between Armenia and Turkey must not be linked to the events of past. "This is history, and it mustn't be linked to current negotiation process between Yerevan and Ankara. Still history mustn't be sidelined," UCLA Professor emphasized.



According to Mr. Hovhannisyan, the Armenian community is looking forward to the US President's recognition of the Armenian Genocide prior to the anniversary of the tragic event. "Barack Obama's recent speech in the Turkish Parliament gives us hope that he hasn't changed his position on Genocide recognition," the historian stated.



On April 1, 1909 the tension in Adana erupted into riots, which soon escalated into organized violence against the Armenian population of Adana and in several surrounding cities. Reports estimated that the massacres in Adana Province resulted in 30,000 deaths.



Turkish and Armenian revolutionary groups had worked together to secure the restoration of constitutional rule, in 1908. On 31 March (or 13 April, by the Western calendar) a military revolt directed against the Committee of Union and Progress seized Istanbul. While the revolt lasted only ten days, it precipitated a massacre of Armenians in the province of Adana that lasted over a month.