YEREVAN—President Serzh Sarkisian issued a statement Sunday on the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Below is the translated text of the statement issued by the presidential press service:
Fellow Compatriots,
Today is the 24th of April, and we commemorate the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
In 1915-1923 a crime against the Armenian nation, against humanity and civilization was committed, which at the time had no name. All the names and definitions – moral, legal, or political – given later are only provisional and only in part reflect what had really happened. The true scope and depth of the tragedy is known only to us, and every Armenian, in any corner of the world, feels devastating repercussions of the Mets Yeghern on his or her destiny in every sense – moral, cultural, linguistic and political.
The Ottoman Empire implemented at the state level the program of elimination and expulsion of the Armenian people. Throughout the process, at its every stage the murders, deportations, conversions and enslavement of the Armenians were viewed as routine trifles. As for foreign interventions, they failed to stop the perpetrators and in some instances pushed them towards even more gruesome acts.
However, despite every devious program and calculations, the Armenian nation survived the Mets Yeghern; survived with irreversible loses, fought against other calamities, which befell the nation in the 20th century, and triumphantly, with victoriously independent statehood ushered into a new millennium – a statehood that will never again allow the repetition of such a crime, a statehood that will defend its righteous cause and will struggle in the international forums not only for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but also for the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide per se.
While in the 20-s of the last century, the task in front of our nation and our country was not to die, not to perish from the face of the earth, and to survive, Armenia of today has other tasks. Wide horizons of restoring historical justice, of development, of progress and creative work are opened before us.
The Republic of Armenia has been proving through its resolute steps that despite black pages of history, it strives for peace with the neighbors, including Turkey. Today in Turkey, more than ever, reasonable voices are being heard. We highly value the Turkish intellectuals, as well as many honest people all over the world, who have raised their voices in the name of justice.
Nevertheless, the official policy of Turkey carries on with the course of denial. Moreover, that policy becomes more “sophisticated”, becomes more, so to speak, “flexible”, and from time to time makes singular, formal-propaganda steps. For us one thing is incontestable: the policy of denial is a direct continuation of the Armenian Genocide. Any attempt to erase the tracks of a crime is a new crime.
Fellow Compatriots,
Throughout the implementation of that murderous program, Armenians tried to defend themselves with whatever means they had – stones, teeth, rifles. But great many of them were defenseless. And this is a lesson, a bitter lesson.
I am confident that today, just like every year, a human stream towards the heights of Tsitsernakaberd of those who come to bow to the memory of innocent victims, will not cease. But I also know, I am confident that that stream will carry different Armenians, the Armenians who learned the lesson.
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Don’t “fellow compatriot” me Serge!
For crying out loud catch a hint man!!!!!! Only use the Armenian word for genocide – tseghasbanoutyoun. Don’t use Metz Yeghern (big disaster or anything else!) These words are outdated and are NOT exact LEGAL interpretations of the definition genocide. Are you and your advisers drunk again?
Do you enjoy leaving us with our hands tied every year by using inexact terminology? Do you actually think your use of the term metz yeghern helps our cause in pressing obama to use the term genocide in his yearly statement? Don’t you think it makes our life more difficult? When is it going to sink in to you folks in Yerevan????? WHEN? in 200, 300, 400, 500 or 600 years??????????????????????
By the way, have you called obama yet (and all the other heads of state around the world who shook hands with the devil) and given him an ear full about his inaccurate and highly offensive omission of the legal term genocide from his April 24th statement or are you just going to sit there like a rotting prune and pretend nothing happened?
Do not cry so much.
Yes He is right if ANCA is real political organisation they should use this moment and turn that word in to international word”Metc Ygkern” like “Holocaust” or Genocide these words all means same thing,especially
That federal court approved that METC YEGKERN term translates as Genocide.
Learned the lesson for what?
The last paragragh…. are you listening Aliyev?
Go fly a kite sarkisian! Your stupid endorsement of the defeatist protocols are a major reason why obama continues to insult Armenians with euphemisms on April 24th. Had you shown effective leadership and had some BALLS to slam the protocols and defend your nations interests instead of encouraging debate about our history, which is what the protocols set out to do, we may have not had a ridiculous reference to “contested history” from the White House in this years Armenian genocide statement.
You are partly to blame for obamas betrayal of our community and his asinine comments this year. Even though you made an 11th hour request of obama to use the word genocide in this years statement, your ACTIONS endorsing the defeatist protocols spoke louder. Even obama knew you were only pandering to the diaspora by asking him to use the word genocide. Shame on you sarkisian for abdicating your responsibilities.
Well Vicken you are very Short sighted to think like that.
Obama did not use the word Genocide not because Sarkisyan! Because State department’s policy is like that it’s called third party behind the President. If we want Genocide recognition by USA we need to get closer
To that third Power.
It has always been like this.
There is no Justes, there is National interests in politics.
Armenian old saying says “Inch es kortcrel inc es man galis”
Why am I not surprised!
I resent the references of “Medz Yeghern”, clearly borrowed from current cynical Obama vocabulary. It is very sad and unacceptable that our President would be parotting Obama.
I am also expecting that our President will apologize to the Armenian people for accepting to examine, in the doomed protocols, historic events regarding the Genocide; which was tantamount to throwing away the baby with the bath water.