Armenia aims at forming mechanisms to prevent future genocides – president

Sargsyan referred to Pope Francis’ words about the Armenian genocide “Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it”. 

The wound is still bleeding because non-interference policy, silencing and denial prevail in the world, the president said. 

Human values have been the driving force behind the international human rights organizations throughout centuries, Sargsyan said. 

Sargsyan also said it was human values and the horrors of the Armenian genocide that made Raphael Lemkin to create the ‘genocide’ term. When asked what genocide is, Lemkin used to say “it is what happened with Armenians”, the president said. 

Even today, there are still cases of denying universal human values and falsifying the history, which may led to reoccurence of similar crimes, the president said referring to the current situation in the Middle East. 

“We must find solutions before humankind once more breaks its “never again” vow,” the Armenian president said. 

Delegations from more than 40 foreign countries and various international organizations, ambassadors and parliament delegations are currently at Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial to pay tribute to the memory of victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey. 

The solemn ceremony is attended by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of France Francois Hollande, President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic and President of Cyprus Nikas Anastasiadis. All-Armenian Catholicos Garegin the Second and the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity Cardinal Kurt Koch are also at Tsitsernakaberd. 

The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the twentieth century. 

According to Armenian and many other historians, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed starting in 1915 in a systematic campaign by the government of Turkey. 

Turkey has been denying it for decades. 

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by tens of countries. The first was Uruguay that did so in 1965. Other nations are Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, 43 U.S. states. It was recognized also by the Vatican, the European Parliament, the World Council of Churches and other international organizations. –0--