Events dedicated to 95th anniversary of Armenian Genocide to be held at high level

March 22, 2010 - 17:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian government held the first meeting of the commission, preparing the events dedicated to 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The meeting was chaired by the Armenian prime minister Tigran Sargsyan. "We together with the National Assembly of Armenia, public organizations and the Public Council plan to organize events dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the high level. According to the prime minister, it is reasonable to start preparing the events dedicated to 100 anniversary of the genocide. Prime minister instructed the cabinet members to submit all suggestions as soon as possible, press office of the government of Armenia 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.