YEREVAN (Armenpress)–The parliament of Bulgaria turned down a draft resolution calling for the official acknowledgment of the Armenian genocide and designating April 24 as the day of remembrance for its victims.
The motion was initiated by the Ataka party last January. Armenian ambassador to Bulgaria–Sergey Manaserian–said that the Bulgarian parliament is not likely to resume debates about the issue this year. He said the motion is being strongly opposed by another parliamentary faction–the Movement for Freedoms and Rights party–which represents ethnic Bulgarian Turks and is also a member of the governing coalition.
Another factor that led to the Bulgarian parliament’s decision is its active economic and trade contacts with Turkey. In 2007 Bulgaria is expected to become an EU member and would not like to stir up additional problems with its neighbors or its biggest national minority.
The Armenian ambassador said this April 24–events commemorating the 91st anniversary of the Genocide will be held in various Bulgarian cities.