YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Armenia is not included in the list of the 40 countries–Turkey among them–which are invited to participate in an international conference that will deal with the Holocaust on January 25-28–initiated by the Swedish government. As Armenpress was informed by Sevan Amirian–Armenia representative of Swedish Armenian Associations’ Co-ordination Center–the Armenian community expressed its discontent by the Swedish government’s decision at a meeting held by the Center December 4 in Upsala.
According to Amirian–the Center has applied to the official bodies of Sweden with a request to invite Armenia to the high-level meeting–the objectives of which as well refer to Armenian people–who were subjected to the first planned genocide of the 20th century.
To this application Swedish State Department responded that only the countries-participants of the previous London and Washington forums–which dealt with issues on the heritage of wealth left after the Jewish Holocaust–carried out by the Nazis before and during World War II–are invited to participate in the Stockholm meeting.
At the end of the letter Swedish official bodies expressed hope that "during the conference–alongside with the Holocaust–other genocide issues might probably be paid attention to."
The Coordination Center recommended the Armenian Government to apply officially to the prime minister of Sweden for participation in the conference in its letters to the Diaspora Department of Armenian government.
According to Amirian–nowadays the Neo-Nazi displays in Sweden are opposed by a certain movement–that aims to realize educational programs on the genocide–one of the undertakings of which is the coming January meeting.
As far as the Armenian genocide is concerned–the parliamentary opposition called on the government of Sweden to recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide officially–by the initiative of Murad Arvin–a parliament deputy–most likely a Middle East Armenian by his origin.