May 15, 2020 - 13:46 AMT
Ambassador: EU will always pay tribute to victims of Mets Yeghern

The head of the EU delegation in Armenia, ambassador Andrea Wiktorin has said that she will always pay respect to the victims of Mets Yeghern, a phrase in Armenian that means "a great catastrophe".

The EU delegation came under fire recently for failing to properly commemorate the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In a tweet published on April 24 – the day of the Armenian Genocide commemoration –unlike in past years, the EU Mission to Armenia avoided using the term “Armenian Genocide” and instead referred to “tragic events.”

"The European Union pays deep respect and tribute to the victims. This is a manifestation of the European Union's commitment to international order and human rights protection, including genocide prevention," Wiktorin said in an interview with the RFE/RL Armenian Service.

"We have always supported the Convention on Genocide which was ratified by all EU members, and we voted in favor of the resolution on Genocide Prevention at the UN Human Rights Council. As the High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell said on the international day of the commemoration of the victims of the crime of genocide, "We must never forget the atrocities of the past, we owe it to the victims." I thinks we all stand behind this. And every year in April we join the Armenians in the solemn commemoration and in mourning for the lives lost, recalling the horror of what happened in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.

Wiktorin said the EU delegation believes that there can't be any denial of "the historic reality of what happened then", describing the Genocide as "a dreadful atrocity afflicting the people of Armenia that must never be forgotten."

The Ambassador said she visited the Armenian Genocide memorial on April 23, laid flowers and mourned the victims.

"On a personal note, you all know I have been here before, I am a historian and a person who is attaching great importance to telling the truth. When I visit the memorial and the museum, or when I hear Komitas, I share the feelings of Armenians about the deep loss that the people have experienced, which are not forgotten and still exist. I can assure you as head of the EU delegation that I will continue to pay respect to the victims of Mets Yeghern by coming, laying flowers and mourning with you," Wiktorin said.