Thursday, January 11 2018 18:14

ArmInfo.The Commission on Foreign Relations and European Integration of the Armenian Parliament unanimously approved the draft statement on "Genocide actions against Yezidis on the territories of Iraq controlled by terrorist groups."

As the deputy from the ruling Republican Party and the Yezidi  community of Armenia, Rustam Mahmudyan stated during the commission  meeting, the genocidal actions against the Yezidis of Iraq can not be  qualified otherwise than as a crime against humanity. RPA MP Shirak  Torosyan said that the issue was submitted for discussion with a  significant delay, and that the text of the statement should indicate  the number of victims and victims of the actions of militants.

Secretary of the parliamentary faction Tsarukyan Vahe Enfiazjyan  noted that the actions that were committed against the Yezidis are,  beyond any doubt. a genocide, and this fact must be recognized.

Meanwhile, RPA deputy Artashes Geghamyan said that the adoption of  such a statement is somewhat risky, as it puts, in Geghamian's  opinion, into questioning the existence of statehood in Iraq.  "Armenia and Iraq are linked by long-standing friendly relations, and  the authorities of this country have always positively treated the  representatives of the Armenian community," the deputy said,  suggesting adding a provision on the support of friendly Iraq by  Armenia. The MP also noted that such issues should not simply appeal  to the international community, but to the UN Security Council. In  addition, Geghamyan suggested replacing the phrase "genocidal  actions" with the term "genocide" in the text of the statement.

The head of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, RPA  Vice-President Armen Ashotyan, responding to Geghamyan, said that  this issue was repeatedly discussed with experts-genocide experts and  specialists in international law who stated that the term "genocide"  can only be used in If this crime was carried out by a certain state  in relation to one or another nationality. "Since ISIS is a terrorist  organization, it's rather difficult to evaluate its actions against  the Yezidi people from the point of view of international law. We de  jure and de facto condemn this crime," explained Ashotyan,  nevertheless, having agreed to the introduction of some changes in  the text of the statement.  The Yezidi community of Armenia earlier  raised the issue of the need to recognize the "Yezidi genocide" by  the parliament of Armenia, not only in Iraq, but also in Ottoman  Turkey in the early 20th century.  However, the Armenian  parliamentarians considered that in order to recognize the "Yezidi  genocide" in Ottoman Turkey, there were not enough facts, and decided  to wait for recognition of the "genocide" in Iraq, which caused a  backlash from the Yezidi community. Nevertheless, RA President Serzh  Sargsyan raised the issue of the massacre of the Yezidis in Iraq from  the UN tribune and stressed the need for their international  protection.