Statement of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia on the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

This year on April 24 Armenians from all over the world will join with the friends of the Armenian people and all of humanity to solemnly commemorate the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, paying tribute to the memory of 1.5 million holy martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.

This heinous crime, committed with the intent to destroy in whole the Armenian people and deprive them of their homeland, stands as the first genocide of the 20th century. This crime of genocide impacts on security of the Armenian people today as well.

Turkey’s consistent denial of the Armenian Genocide and its justification, the land blockade imposed on Armenia and the overt anti-Armenian position in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict threaten the security of the Republic of Armenia and the descendants of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Beginning 105 years ago, despite the pledges and promises of international security guarantees, the Armenian people were abandoned and defenseless in the face of this crime of genocide and vulnerable to the unrelenting atrocities of its perpetrators. The Armenian people suffered through the horrific ordeal of Genocide, but against all odds they survived. In the wake of their genocidal trauma, these heroic survivors were not only able to preserve and promote their national identity everywhere they sought refuge and safety, but also managed to restore and regain the Armenian statehood. For each day since, the primary mission and main responsibility of the Republic of Armenia has been to ensure the security of its people on the territory of their historic homeland.

The decades-long struggle for the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide demonstrated that there is no single force capable of opposing the quest for historical justice and truth. The increasing number of countries recognizing the Armenian Genocide stands as the most important affirmation of this maxim. It is also particularly relevant that those nations who have made significant contributions in saving and providing refuge to the survivors of the genocide have been the most recent countries to join others in recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

The recognition of the past is essential for the present and the future, to serve as deterrence in order to prevent any recurrence of such atrocity or genocide elsewhere.

The sincere recognition of truth and remembrance of the past are essential requirements for upholding justice, human dignity, combating impunity and uniting in international solidarity.

Today, once again bowing to the solemn memory of the holy martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, we reiterate and reaffirm our commitment to the promotion of historical justice and the prevention of new genocides.