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23.4.2016

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23.04.2016
RA NA Deputy Speaker Hermine Naghdalyan Reads the Speech by the RA NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan in the Second Global Forum Against Crime of Genocide
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The RA NA Speaker’s speech reads:

“Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen!

The holding of the regular Global Forum Against the Crime of Genocide once again testifies to the fact that no statutory limitation shall apply to the genocide as the greatest and gravest crime against humanity. Moreover, the world still has debt and something to say to the witnesses of that crime, first of all, to those who have survived the Armenian Genocide, words of soul and heart, debt to justice and truth. Irrespective of what shape and in what legal and moral field shall be returned that debt, irrespective of the fact where and in what language the word of soul and heart shall sound, it’s the same the justice demands, and the time obliges.

Dear friends, the witnesses of the genocide are living memories, connected first of all, with the Armenian Genocide occurred in 1915, and the next – Holocaust, Rwanda, Darfur, now also occurring in Syria and Iraq genocides borne from its impunity, are a living reminder about the inadmissibility of genocides and inevitability of the punishment. Our compatriots, who miraculously survived from the organized and perpetrated genocide at state level in Ottoman Turkey, forcibly deported, the generations of the innocent martyrs, fallen victims of the genocide today live in all continents as citizens of different countries - from the USA to Canada, from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, from Italy to Russia and India, from France to Australia and Singapore, from Egypt to Jerusalem and Kuwait, from Syria to Iran and Iraq and other places. Meanwhile, Armenians should live in their birthplaces on their own land, in 1915 as a consequence of the Genocide perpetrated towards Armenians, nations with the same luck Assyrians, Yazidis, Greeks were deprived of their Motherland.

Dear friends, the field of the Genocide witnesses’ memory gradually becomes more inclusive due to the countries and structures, which show political and civil courage and responsibility, recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide, realize that by non-condemnation of the greatest crime committed against mankind at the beginning of the 20th century a road is opened for new genocides. The condemnation of the genocide, as crime against mankind should become a duty and responsibility for the civilized humanity, but first of all, for Turkey that today with the same handwriting tries to solve the Kurds’ issues.

I cannot but speak also about April aggression that Azerbaijan began. Failing in the sphere of diplomacy Baku tried to change the status quo through military means in the region, aiming to reach Stepanakert and dictate conditions in the negotiations. What happened, everybody knows. Azerbaijan not only defeated its blitzkrieg, but also failed in political and diplomatic accounts. He also managed to leave “the signature” not being changed in the course of time in these territories, which it occupied for several hours. There were killings of the civilians of Nagorno Karabakh Republic, including the children and the elderly people by the Azerbaijani army and the mercenary fighting with them, the tortures and defamations of the NKR Defense army soldiers, up to the dismemberment of their bodies. This is a handwriting that being inspired by the impunity takes its root from 1915, Ottoman Turkey and continues nowadays. Azerbaijan puts itself on equal plane with the Islamic State terrorist group against which fights the whole world.

Dear friends, this year for the first time on April 24 there will not be offered a Memorial Divine Liturgy in Armenian Apostolic Churches of the whole world. Last year the Genocide martyrs were canonized, and after that the Armenian Apostolic Church offers commemoration prayer, and it is not only a church ritual change. I assure you that is an important achievement that we stopped treating the Armenian Genocide as tragedy: it made us live with the complex of the killed, raped, plundered and expropriated. The Republic of Armenia, which will celebrate the 25 years of its independence this year in September, gave opportunity to speak about demanding, gave opportunity to overcome the complex of being massacred and to speak with a voice of a person who had been reborn. And it is the best answer to all the past, present and future taleats, envers and jemals.

In this Forum we were talking not only about the activities of the people, groups who were anticipating the crime of genocide, but also about the refugees, the compulsory consequence of all genocides. And who, if not us, Armenians have real things to say on this theme for hundred years and more. I cannot but touch upon our compatriots who have taken asylum in the motherland from Syria. They, who were the inheritors of the survivors of 100-year Genocide, were obliged to emigrate, leaving Syria, that has become their second motherland, home and job: most of them their families and look for a shelter in Armenia. When the immediate participant of the Syrian War, Turkey with the European Union makes a matter of political trade and blackmail the refugees, Armenia having less than thousands of times possibilities hosts and without any pompous announcements provides the Syrians with the apartment and job, considering them not refugees, but compatriots that are in difficult conditions.

Last year on January 29, at Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex the Pan-Armenian Declaration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial was issued, in fact, a Pan-Armenian document, which was not only summing up the passed path of the realization, recognition and condemnation of the Genocide during the last 100 years, but was also formulating our works to be done. Touching upon that inclusive and comprehensive document today we can document that we have been moved by the guidelines of the Pan-Armenian Declaration and we succeeded: I’ll note that due to Armenia in the UN December 9 was established International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. But the path continues, and the most important issues are still waiting for the time of their solution. We are for the slogan “I Remember and Demand” for the more powerful Motherland, free and democratic Republic of Armenia, progress and strengthening independent Artsakh, consolidation of the world spread Armenians, realization of the centuries-old innermost goals of all Armenians. I am sure that today our lilac forget-me-nots say more to the world, than they did last year, and next year they will say more than now, because all of us jointly do an important job, the results of which will make more visible the time. I thank all the participants of the Forum and at the end I would like to witness on behalf of everybody: “I Remember and Demand,” being confident that these two words are not only a slogan: in these two words there is a story of the past and the future.”




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