ArmInfo."At the initiative of Armenia, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution on the prevention of genocide in 2015. As a next step, again on our initiative, the UN General Assembly proclaimed December 9 an International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Genocide," Foreign Ministry of Greece Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
"The moral duty of the peoples, past the horrors of the Genocide, to stand on the forefront of international efforts to prevent genocides and crimes against humanity. In this regard, our activities have received international recognition, as recently stated by the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Michael Miller. Armenia played a leading role in defending the importance of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, "Nalbandian said.
He also noted that on December 9, 2018 - the International Day of Remembrance is of great importance, since it will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In connection with this, the 3rd Global Forum on Crimes against Genocide will be held in Yerevan. "70 years after the adoption of the Convention, the world has not been liberated from the threat of this disaster, it is extremely important to double the international efforts to strengthen the prevention program." What we see today, especially in the Middle East with regard to ethnic and religious groups, directly proves the significance of the Convention, in which clearly defined punitive measures against the perpetrators of this crime, "Nalbandian said, stressing that Armenia was one of the first countries that voiced this issue, demanding the strengthening of international preventive mechanisms.
Nalbandian also stressed that the recent chairmanship in the OSCE focused on the further development of measures to combat hatred and discrimination against Christians and other religious groups, as well as the establishment of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. "The conference, which was held at a high level in Yerevan with the support of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, was also very important." Violence in the Middle East has not bypassed the Armenians who were part of the multicultural and multifaceted mosaic of Syria and the Mediterranean for centuries. "Armenian settlements, churches, schools and many of our compatriots were killed as a result of terrorist acts and some were forced to leave their homes More than 22,000 refugees from Syria took refuge in Armenia by making our country the largest in Europe in terms of the number of refugees from Syria, and we also tried, as far as possible, to help those who need humanitarian assistance in Syria, "the Minister of Foreign Affairs concluded.