Monday, April 24 2023 09:59

ArmInfo. Armenia is commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman  Empire. 

The events on the occasion of the 108th anniversary of the Armenian  Genocide kicked off in Yerevan's Republic Square with the traditional  torchlight procession toward the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to Armenian  Genocide victims. The procession was organized by the Youth Wing of  the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D). 

Ishkhan Saghatelyan of the ARF-D Executive Council stated prior to  the event that the Armenian people are now being forced into  renouncing the Armenian Cause and its their past in order to deprive  them of their own future. 

"We are being divided into former ones, new, black, white residents  of Armenia, locals, residents of Karabakh and of the Diaspora, in  order to complete the monstrous programme of annihilating the  Armenian people. We are being estranged from our roots, our church is  being attacked, all this being done for the simple reason: Turkey's  plans have never changed. And they are doing it with the hands of  Nikol Pashinyan, who is sitting in this building," Mr Saghatelyan  said. 

Addressing the Artsakh Armenians he apologized for the fact that  their destiny is in the hands of "Turkey- placed traitors." 

"Motherland has not rejected Artsakh. We are power together. We are  not only able, but we are also obliged to turn over this black page  of our history. It is not the end yet. The principal battle is ahead.  We are not going to retreat in our righteous struggle. We'll put  political and personal interests aside and drive internal and  external enemies out of our country," he said. 

The participants burned the Turkish national flag and moved on. The  procession was led by Armenia's spiritual leaders and scouts,  carrying the national flags of the states that recognized the first  genocide in the 20th century. 

The Armenian Genocide was commemorated in Artsakh, which has been  blockaded by Azerbaijan for over 130 days. 

The Armenian Genocide has been recognized by many states and  international organizations: the Council of Europe, European  Parliament, United Nations Network on Racial Discrimination and  Protection of Minorities, World Church Council, as well as by  Uruguay, Austria, Argentina, Armenia (the Armenian SSR in 1964, 1988,  1990), Belgium, Bulgaria, Bolivia, Brazil, Vatican, Venezuela,  Germany, Greece, Italy, Canada, Cyprus, Latvia, Lebanon, Lybia,  Lithuania, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal,  Russia, Syria, Slovakia, the U.S. (on April 24, 2021, President Joe  Biden recognized the Armenian massacres in Ottoman Turkey as  genocide), Czech Republic, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden.  Turkey  continues denying the fact.