Some delegates from Turkey also support PACE's declaration on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide Centennial. Turkish parliamentarians have also signed the document, Arpine Hovhannisyan, member of the Armenian Delegation to PACE, has told ArmInfo.
To recall, the declaration authored by Rene Rouquet was signed by 171 delegates. The text of the Declaration reads: "24 April 2015 marks the Centennial of the Armenian genocide. 1,500,000 Armenians perished as a result of this hideous crime perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire. The undersigned parliamentarians pay tribute to the memory of innocent victims and condemn all forms of crimes against humanity and genocide and deeply deplore attempts at their denial. Prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity should be amongst our priorities. Further development of the international capacities in this regard is instrumental. The Council of Europe has an important role to play within the international efforts in contributing to the prevention of crimes against humanity. It should encourage its member States to come to terms with their own past and prepare grounds for future reconciliation between peoples."
Hovhannisyan also stresses that other parliamentarians also can sign the declaration within the next 3 months. She says that Azeri delegates tried to prevent the adoption, "nevertheless, PACE remained committed to universal values. It did not yield to the external influence and decided to call a spade a spade," she says.
To recall, earlier the European Parliament also adopted a similar declaration, in which it urged PACE and other structures to follow its example.