The highest leadership of the Republic of Armenia paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide at the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex.
At the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex, President Vahagn Khachaturyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, National Assembly President Alen Simonyan and other members of the government paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
The high-ranking officials laid flowers at the eternal flame immortalizing the memory of the victims of the Genocide.
Afterwards, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and familiarized himself with the materials presented in the exhibition titled “In the footsteps of Armenian schools: testimonies of an educated nation.”
In his message on the occasion of the 107th anniversary of the Genocide, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan notes that the denial, distortion, and failure to confront historical facts, genocides and crimes, as well as the tolerance of the international community, give birth to new cruelties and crimes.
Armenia will continue to actively contribute to the efforts of the international community aimed at the prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity, and to the fight against manifestations of discrimination and intolerance on ethnic, religious and racist grounds, Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized, adding that the agenda of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide should serve the strengthening of the system of security guarantees for Armenia.
“The government will use this agenda not for increasing regional tension, but on the contrary, for the purpose of defusing the region,” his message states.
“The Great Genocide is the most tragic page in the history of the Armenian people. And for us, it is not only an occasion to honor the memory of our innocent martyrs and bow our heads before them, but also an occasion to think about our history — the past, the present and the future. It is an occasion for us to record that the Armenian people should have more and more opportunities and levers to manage their own destiny, and should be able to transfer their own destiny from the domain of others’ decisions to the domain of their own decisions.
The most active expression of such a situation is independent statehood, with the maximum establishment of all its institutions, with the capabilities and mechanisms for decision-making. This awareness has led us to the agenda of opening an era of peaceful development for our people and the region, because the most effective tool for ensuring one’s own security is established statehood and peace. And we must walk this path,” the Armenian leader stated.
He then added that this is also the reason why they are conducting negotiations aimed at regulating relations between Armenia and Turkey, expressing hope that the aspirations of the Turkish side are sincere, and that they will be able to move forward in this direction.
“At the same time, our task today is to build a dignified and established democratic state through the realization of the potential of the entire Armenian nation,” he observed.
If the Armenian Genocide had been condemned in time, subsequent genocides would have been prevented, expresses the conviction of the President of Armenia, Vahagn Khachaturyan.
“It is precisely for this reason that the Republic of Armenia is waging a consistent struggle in the international arena for the condemnation and prevention of the crime of genocide. We are aware that the best way to pay tribute to the memory of our martyred compatriots is the establishment of a strong and democratic Armenia, the provision of a prosperous life for our people, the strengthening and security of our country’s borders, and the strengthening of Armenia’s international prestige,” was stated in the president’s April 24 message.
“Unfortunately, the recognition of the Genocide and the various edits of the shameful pages of one’s own history continue to remain at the basis of modern Turkey’s denialist policy. More than once we have been convinced that the denial of a crime is a guarantee of a new crime,” noted National Assembly President Alen Simonyan in his message.
