Armenia not to weaken its stance on international recognition of Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - There's a wrong opinion that countries which have recognized or are preparing to recognize Armenian Genocide link the issue to Armenian-Turkish relations, Deputy FM Shavarsh Kocharyan told journalists. "Armenia will not weaken its stance on international recognition of Armenian Genocide. Diaspora and lobbyist organizations should not weaken their efforts either," Kocharyan said.



Deputy Minister also stressed that Armenian-Turkish intergovernmental commission should study archive materials and conduct discussions with the involvement of international experts. "Commission's agenda will be set by both parties. If it were going to focus on issues containing elements which question the fact of Armenian Genocide, we'd never agreed and accepted such proposal. Turkey is not ready to acknowledge that 1915 acts constituted Genocide. On the other hand, Ankara cannot but admit the existence of Armenian Diaspora and Armenian cultural-historical heritage. Preservation of that heritage and compensation to Genocide victims' descendants are issues that must be discussed," Shavarsh Kocharyan said, adding that Armenia holds firm stance.