Armenian traditional parties prepare for 95th anniversary of Armenian Genocide

February 15, 2010 - 21:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net -
On February 14, at the Stepan Gulian office of Social Democratic Hnchak Party Central Board representative of ARFD Bureau Hrant Markarian and Social Democratic Hnchak Party Central Board Sedrak Achemyan met. The chairman of the Central Board of Ramkavar Liberal-Democratic Party Mike Harapyan joined the meeting by telephone.

During the meeting the representatives of Armenian traditional parties discussed joint projects dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, press office of the Social Democratic Hnchak Party reported.

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.