Armenian nation united despite unresolved problems: acting PM

April 24, 2018 - 11:40 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Genocide changed the destiny of the Armenian people and resulted in more sufferings in the future, but we found the strength to revive, to build an independent state and control our own fate, acting prime minister Karen Karapetyan said on Tuesday, April 24.

On Tuesday, Armenians worldwide are commemorating the 103rd anniversary of the Genocide which began in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and 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 in the Ottoman Empire as Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.

“Today we are going through another difficult phase in our modern history,” Karapetyan said, referring to the mass protests against the authorities and the resignation of former prime minister Serzh Sargsyan on Monday.

“I called on all the political forces to depoliticize this day, and I am very glad my appeal was accepted. And now we are showing to the world that despite internal problems and some difficulties, we are united.”

Karapetyan said that the Armenian people are thus reaffirming their determination to create a strong statehood and a free and civilized society.

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.