Armenians have moral duty in prevention of genocides

February 10, 2010 - 20:42 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net -
Armenians, as a people that have survived the Genocide, have a moral duty towards mankind and history in the prevention of genocides, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in his speech at Chatham House, Royal Institute of International Affairs.

“We have done and will continue to do our best to support the persistent implementation of the Genocide Convention. Genocide cannot concern only one people, because it is a crime against humanity,” he stated.

As Armenian President reminded, Great Britain, Russia, and France were the co-authors of a joint statement issued in May 1915 that labelled the massacres and atrocities against Armenians as “crimes against humanity and civilization.”

“Yesterday, I was inquired about how one should present facts related to the Armenian Genocide to Great Britain, and whether Great Britain, by recognizing the Armenian Genocide, would not harm security in the Caucasus. As to my interlocutor’s concern about Genocide recognition undermining security, I said to him that it would be analogous to suggesting a choice between security and a system of values. I believe that lasting security is possible in our region only if it is built on a deeply-understood system of values,” Armenian leader concluded.

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1948 as General Assembly Resolution 260. The Convention came into effect in January 1951. It defines genocide in legal terms, and is the culmination of years of campaigning by lawyer Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term by reference to the Simele massacre, the Holocaust, and the Armenian Genocide. All participating countries are advised to prevent and punish actions of genocide in war and in peacetime. The number of states that have ratified the convention is currently 140.

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.