Standing Rapporteur on Armenia and the Vice-Chair of the EPP Group at the European Parliament, MEP Andrey Kovatchev is calling for commemorating the Armenian Genocide so that such “catastrophes” never happen again, Armenpress reports.

“On the 24th of April we remember the unparalleled tragedy that millions of Armenians suffered under the Ottoman Empire more than a century ago. As every other year, we commemorate the victims of these mass killings. Such tragedies should be remembered and we should never allow similar catastrophes to happen again. History should not repeat itself," Kovatchev said.

"Unfortunately we’ve seen that we haven’t learnt from the past. Today there are still innocent people who are being held hostage, who are persecuted and killed only because of their ethnicity. We have to keep fighting for protecting their rights and dignity. We should never forget and never repeat the tragic events from a century ago. May the departed souls rest in peace and may God give strength and sense to the living not to repeat the tragedies of the past."

On April 24, 1915, a large group of Armenian intellectuals was rounded up and assassinated in Constantinople by the Ottoman government. Today, on April 24, Armenians worldwide are commemorating the 106th 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.