Chilean President: Armenian Genocide recognition by Chilean parliament "is not binding"

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that Chilean President Michelle Bachelet sent a letter to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, saying that the document, which was adopted in the Chilean parliament on June 5 and referred to the events of 1915 as the Armenian Genocide was not legally or politically binding, the Turkish Daily News reports.



June 5 the Chilean government unanimously made a decision to condemn the Armenian Genocide. The draft project was submitted by Socialist Party member Ricardo Nunies Munios. The documents reads, in part, "April 24, 1915 the Turkish government arrested and killed the leaders of the Armenian people in Constantinople and thus initiated the policy of extermination of the Armenian nation. In 1915-1923 some 1.5 million of Armenians who lived on their lands during centuries. This extermination is named the first ethnic cleansing of the 20th century. The Armenian Genocide was recognized by the UN subcommittee on discrimination and protection of national minorities in 1985. Considering these facts the Senate of Chile decreed to recognize the Armenian Genocide and condemn it. It also called to the Chilean government to join the UN resolution of 1985."



The draft author reminded that the Armenian Genocide has been already recognized by Uruguay, Argentina, Greece, Bulgaria, Russia, Italy, Lebanon, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Venezuela, Lithuania, Canada and France as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.