Armenian Unions of Europe Forum calls on Congress and U.S. President to recognize Armenian Genocide

February 26, 2010 - 21:48 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net -
The Presidency of the Forum of Armenian Associations of Europe addressed the letter to the U.S. President Barack Obama, calling on him to recognize the historical fact of Armenian Genocide.

“We feel confident that your continuous efforts will contribute to the adoption of the resultant resolution on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US Congress,” the statement said.

“Armenian communities have hitherto contributed to the adoption of similar resolutions by the Parliaments of a number of European countries in faith that this will aid to the development of Turkish-Armenian relations and their neighborly cooperation. By helping Turkey to reconcile with its past and enhance working relations with its neighboring country, we will naturally contribute to the development of Turkey’s democracy and create an opportunity for it to earn its right for its future integration into the European Union.

The adoption of the resolution recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide by the United States will greatly contribute to this historical process and will help the Turkish authorities to ‘cross Rubicon’ and rid itself of the heavy burden inherited from its past” the letter said.

“Turkey’s ignorance of the Armenian Genocide, its falsification of justice, its sinning against the truth can no longer be tolerated and we ask you to recognize the Armenian Genocide in honor of historical truth and morality. We are convinced that recognition of the Armenian Genocide will make Turkey honor the international opinion, and more importantly, it will help towards building a sustainable relationship between Armenia and Turkey,” the statement says.

This letter was signed by a number of notable figures in Europe, among others, Ashot Grigorian, President of Forum of Armenian Associations of Europe (Slovakia), Marios Garoyian, President of the House of Representatives, Republic of Cyprus, Charles Aznavour, Singer, Public Activist (France), Hilda Tchoboian, President of European-Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (France), Sergey Khachatryan Violinist (Germany), Arthur Abraham, World Champion in Boxing (Germany), Levon Aronian, Chess Grandmaster (Germany).

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.