Armenian Diaspora of France: Turkey must recognize the Genocide

April 24, 2011 - 11:55 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian French Anahit Gostanian said the Armenian Genocide recognition by Turkey is very important for the Diaspora.

All Armenians try to visit the Motherland these days, said Gostanian, a descendant of the Armenian Genocide survivors.

“I arrived in Armenia to pay tribute to the Armenian Genocide victims,” Gostanian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

According to her, the non-recognition of the Armenian Genocide has resulted in a range of cruel events worldwide. “The Armenian Genocide should have been condemned in due time to show tyrants that similar atrocities are punishable and to prevent new genocides,” Gostanian concluded.

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.