Armenian leadership commemorates Genocide victims at Tsitsernakaberd

April 24, 2017 - 14:07 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Serzh Sargsyan visited Tsitsernakaberd memorial to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian leader laid flowers at the eternal flame, further proceeding to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute to attend the exhibit dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, From Genocide to Restoration of Independence.

Accompanying the President on his visit were the Catholocos of All Armenians Karekin II, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, parliament speaker Galust Sahakyan, Constitutional Court president Gagik Harutyunyan, Defense Minister Vigen Sargyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

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.