YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan, acting Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan, Speaker of the Parliament Ara Babloyan, Cabinet members, MPs, as well as other officials pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims in the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial on April 24, Armenpress reports.

His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, delivered prayer at the Eternal Flame. The officials paid tribute to the memory of 1.5 million victims with a moment of silence.

Photos by Mkhitar Khachatryan, Gevorg Perkuperkyan

The Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman government has been documented, recognized and acknowledged by eyewitness reports, laws, resolutions and the decisions of numerous states and international organizations.

There are numerous documents considering the massacres of the Armenian people as a pre-planned and thoroughly implemented act of genocide. Organizations like the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, a number of UN Committees, the World Council of Churches, MERCOSUR parliament and others acknowledged the Armenian Genocide.

Many countries have recognized the Armenian Genocide: Uruguay is the first country that acknowledged the Genocide in 1965. The following countries have condemned and recognized the massacre of Armenians as a genocide based on international law: France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Greece, Slovakia, Cyprus, Lebanon, Uruguay, Argentina (2 laws, 5 resolutions), Venezuela, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, Canada, Vatican, Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, Australia’s state of New South Wales, 48 US states.

The Netherlands adopted a resolution reaffirming the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on February 22, 2018 according to which a representative of the country’s government must visit Armenia every five years to participate in the Genocide commemorative events. The first official, State Secretary of Finance of the Netherlands Menno Snel this year is attending the commemorative events.

English translator/editor – Aneta Harutyunyan