Yerevan, Armenia, 17 March, 2015: Today, the fourth ordinary session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution on the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, calling on Turkey to reconcile with its past, stressing, that genocide denial is the final stage of genocide and that the absences of unequivocal and timely condemnation of the Armenian Genocide largely contributed to the failure to prevent future crimes against Humanity. The resolution recalls all EU, UN and other international declarations and resolutions adopted on Crimes against Humanity, and the Armenian Genocide.
This urgent resolution is the third after the European People’s Party (EPP) Political Assembly’s and European Parliament’s report on Human Rights, affirming the recognition and condemnation of the denial of the Armenian Genocide, calling on Turkey and the member states to officially recognise the Armenian Genocide and condemning the denial. The resolution ‘supports the international struggle for the prevention of genocides, the restoration of the rights of people subjected to genocide and the establishment of historical justice’.
MEP Sandra Kalniete (EPP, Latvia) stressed EPP’s wholehearted support to this resolution, and reminded European People’s Party’s much stricter resolution. MEP Knut Fleckenstein (S&D, Germany) mentioned that Turkey has to follow Germany’s example, and needs to reconcile with its past. MEP Kazimierz Michal Ujzadowski (ECR, Poland) reminded Raphael Lemkin, who has coined the term ‘genocide’ based on the Armenian massacres. MEP Tatjana Ždanoka (Greens/EFA, Latvia) recalled the opening session of the Assembly, by laying wreath at the Armenian Genocide memorial Tzitzernagapert in Yerevan, and that we shall name the crimes with their names, and not wait another a hundred years.
The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) welcomes this resolution adopted by the Euronest, which reaffirms Europe’s intolerance of genocides, crimes against humanity and denial.
‘This is yet another blow to Turkey’s state denial policy, and a call to recognise the Armenian Genocide and reconcile with its past. Having in mind the format of the Euronest, this is a big achievement by the Armenian delegation’, said Kaspar Karampetian, president of EAFJD. ‘Due to the coordinated efforts of the Armenian delegation, the Republic of Armenia embassy in Belgium, the European Friends of Armenia and the EAFJD, this resolution was adopted in Yerevan, today. This resolution sends a positive signal to the European Parliament as well, which will vote on a resolution on the centennial of the Armenian Genocide on April 15’, concluded Karampetian.