Events in commemoration of Armenian Genocide to be held in Kyiv

April 19, 2010 - 11:51 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - On April 23, 2010, the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, will host a round table discussion on the Armenian Genocide organized by the National Congress of Armenians of Ukraine and Analitika.at.ua analytical center. The event will bring together well-known Ukrainian political analysts, public figures and diplomats from the countries which have already recognized the first Genocide of the 20th century.

As Marat Hakobyan, the head of Analitika.at.ua told PanARMENIAN.Net the Armenian Genocide has never been discussed at such a high level in Ukraine.

An exhibition featuring Ukrainian archives on the issue will be available for attendees on April 24. Screening of a documentary is also scheduled.

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.