Ohanyan: wild tribes couldn’t kill the spirit of the Armenian nation

April 24, 2011 - 10:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Today, the Armenian people as never before are protected from repetition of outrageous crimes of the past, RA Defense Minister said.

“We have an efficient army which performs its tasks with honor. Wild tribes couldn’t kill the spirit of the Armenian nation,” Seyran Ohanyan said after visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial on April 24 morning.

“This bitter page of our history obliged us to take every measure to ensure security of the Armenian people,” the Minister added.

24.04.11 - Genocide victims commemoration day

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.