The Republic of Cyprus supports the efforts of the Armenians for international recognition of the Genocide, President Nicos Anastasiades has said.

A press release issued by the Presidency on the 104th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide said that “the President of the Republic and the government condemn this appalling crime against the Armenian people, describing it as a stain in the history of mankind.”

Moreover, President Anastasiades says, according to the press release, that “the Republic of Cyprus supports the efforts of the Armenians for international recognition of the Genocide and notes that Cyprus has been one of the first countries, the first in Europe and the second worldwide to recognise this terrible crime and asks for the historical truth to be established.”

Addressing the Armenians of Cyprus, the President said they have contributed “in a substantive way to the progress we have achieved to our common homeland, and our co-existence constitutes an example for the whole world.”

April 24, 1915 is the day when a group of Armenian intellectuals was rounded up and assassinated in Constantinople by the Ottoman government. On April 24, Armenians worldwide commemorated the 104th anniversary of the Genocide which continued until 1923. Some three dozen countries, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.