Brazil becomes 24th country to recognize Armenian Genocide

May 29, 2015 - 22:40 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Federal Senate of Brazil has passed a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide.

“Brazil has become the 24th country to recognize the Armenian Genocide,” the head of Armenian President’s Chief of Staff, Vigen Sargsyan, said in a Facebook post.

According to the RA Foreign Ministry, the resolution adopted unanimously says that the “Federal Senate recognizes the Armenian Genocide, the centennial of which was marked on April 24, 2015. The Senate honors the memory of Genocide victims and highly appreciates the contribution to the economy and culture by the Genocide survivors and their heirs, who found shelter in Brazil,” the document says.

It also emphasizes that no genocide should be forgotten.

Commenting on the decision, RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said that “the irreversible process of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide continues. Brazil made its contribution to the prevention of crimes against humanity.”

Related links:

Vigen Sargsyan's Facebook page

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.