Armenian foreign minister condemns destruction of Armenian genocide memorial in Syria
22.09.2014,
15:34
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian condemned today the destruction of an Armenian church at the Armenian Genocide memorial complex in the eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor by the militants of the Islamic State.
YEREVAN, September 22. / ARKA /. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian condemned today the destruction of an Armenian church at the Armenian Genocide memorial complex in the eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor by the militants of the Islamic State.
In a statement released today he called on the international community to combat the Islamic State, which, he described as “a threat to the civilized mankind.”
‘This hideous crime against a shrine once again demonstrates the brutal nature of the so-called Islamic State terrorist group. The international community must immediately stop and eradicate this contagion threatening the civilized humanity and block the ways of its supply, financing, support and sponsorship,” he said.
The Der ez-Zor Memorial Church contains the remains of victims of the Armenian Genocide. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians were said to have died during the march to Deir ez-Zor in 1015, which was ordered by the Ottoman Turkey.
Armenian Genocide Memorial Church served as a pilgrimage site for Armenians in Syria and worldwide and every year, on April 24, special commemoration ceremonies attended by thousands of people were held at the site. The complex housed, in addition to the church, a museum, a monument and an archive. -0-
