Syrian parliament holds session on Armenian Genocide centenaryMarch 18, 2015 - 16:22 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - People's Council of Syria held Tuesday, March 17, a special session dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. “Looming days coincide with the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, committed by the Ottoman Empire. We express our unconditional solidarity with friendly Armenian people, as well as our Syrian Armenian compatriots, who became victims to the heinous genocide by the Ottoman authorities. Today we commemorate the most horrible and tragic event in the history. We call on the international community and all the peoples in the world to fight against the murderers, executioners and terrorism that threaten the Middle East in order for us to prevent further crimes against humanity, civilization and history,” parliament speaker Mohammad Jihad al-Laham said in his opening remarks. The speaker invited the MPs to honor the memory of more than 1.5 million innocent victims with a moment of silence. During the session, more than 20 parliamentarians from different groups and chairpersons of permanent commissions delivered speeches, strongly condemning the severe crime committed against the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire and calling upon the international community to condemn first genocide committed in the 20th century. 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. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan. 41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan 41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience. Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. EU still discussing funding Armenia through European Peace Facility Discussions continue in the EU on providing Armenia with funds from the European Peace Facility, Vassilis Maragos says. |