YEREVAN (Arka)—The Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg adopted unanimously on Wednesday a resolution recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide.
Luxemburg is the latest of a slew of states to recognize the Armenian Genocide on its centennial anniversary.
Noting similar moves by the European Parliament and a “growing number” of countries around the world, the tiny European state’s Chamber of Deputies said it believes the slaughter of some 1.5 million Armenians constituted genocide. It said it is therefore “joining in the commemoration of the centenary of the Armenian genocide in the spirit of European solidarity and justice.”
The resolution, however, goes on to praise Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu for offering their “condolences” to descendants of Armenians massacred by the Ottoman Turks. But it says Ankara should go further and explicitly recognize the massacres as genocide, RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) reports.
Such a move would “constitute a national and European gesture important and honorable for the Turkish Republic,” according to the Luxembourg parliament.
Armenia was quick to praise the resolution, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan posting a photocopy of the document on his Facebook and Twitter pages. There was no immediate reaction from Turkey.
