Չեխիա. Դեսպան Հովակիմյանի ուղերձը՝ Հայոց ցեղասպանության 106-րդ տարելիցի կապակցությամբ

Address by Ambassador Ashot Hovakimian on the occasion of the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

Dear Compatriots in the Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro,

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

On April 24 Armenians all over the world are commemorating the 106-th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. We are grateful to all those, who stood by the Armenian people in commemoration of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide.

I would especially like to express gratitude to the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, which last year joined this family of advocates for justice, by adopting on May 20, 2020 a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide, to the initiators of this process Milan Štěch and Miluše Horská, as well as to all the Senators who supported the cause.

We are honoring the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide in a country, that is the homeland to famous traveler and writer Karel Hansa and prominent Austrian-Bohemian novelist Franz Werfel, one of the first in Europe to have documented the horrors of the Armenian Genocide and whose 130th anniversaries we celebrated last year. We welcome all the political and public figures in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro, who support raising awareness on the Armenian Genocide and its recognition.

Despite all the international efforts aimed at the condemnation of genocide, Turkey continues to pursue its policy of denialism, not just at an offence to the dignity and memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, but to the just call of the civilized international community.

Dear Compatriots, Dear Friends

Today we are also commemorating all those that fell withstanding the large-scale aggression by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the people of Artsakh, which reflected the same genocidal intent as was the case 106 years ago.

The acts of aggression by Azerbaijan were not only instigated with the unconditional support from Turkey, but with its carefully planned direct involvement in the hostilities and its recruitment and stationing of thousands of foreign terrorist fighters from the Middle East.

With the constant support and encouragement of Turkey the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh was accompanied by numerous gross violations of the laws and customs applicable in armed conflicts, by war crimes, including the deliberate targeting of civilian population and critical infrastructure with the use of banned cluster munitions and chemical weapons, executions, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners of war and civilian captives, beheadings, mutilation of dead bodies and other well documented crimes, aimed at the ultimate purpose of the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population from their ancestral lands.

Moreover, the xenophobic attitudes and genocidal intent fueled by the anti-Armenian policies of the Azerbaijani-Turkish tandem pose a direct threat to our compatriots, currently under Azerbaijani custody in violation by Azerbaijan of the November 9, 2020 trilateral ceasefire statement, stipulating an “all-for-all” exchange of prisoners of war, captives and other detainees.

The distortion by Turkey and Azerbaijan of facts and evidences is a dangerous manifestation of denial that has incited and advocated hatred towards Armenians and promoted genocidal tendencies among the Turkish and Azerbaijani societies.

The tandem has as well been responsible for systematic cultural genocide, aimed at destroying any trace of the civilizational presence of Armenians in the territories under their control. Whilst Turkish authorities are excelling in expropriating Armenian churches and putting them up for auction, their Azerbaijani brothers have relentlessly persevered in the intentional destruction and misappropriation of the Armenian cultural heritage now under their control, by bulldozing or blowing up these objects or through their falsified presentation as “Caucasian Albanian”.

Dear Friends,

As in 1915, more than a century later, the leadership of Turkey continues to blatantly defy the international public opinion and historical reality. Turkey’s policies and actions of denial and justification manifest a flagrant subversion of the fight against the impunity for atrocity crimes, undermining the important efforts of the international community to prevent genocide.

Ever since the horrific page of our history, the Armenian people and the Republic of Armenia have pledged their commitment to raising awareness of such crimes, to protesting against denialism and to joining efforts in preventing such atrocities from repeating in any part of the world.

The international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the commemoration and respect of the dignity of the victims are amongst the most important actions in genocide prevention. The last Artsakh war and the developments that followed clearly manifested that it is necessary for a clear message to be sent to the perpetrators of mass atrocities against humanity that the civilized international community will not stand by whilst other genocides are being carried out.

Facing the dark pages of one’s history and condemnation of such only brings praise to countries, providing for a basis for lasting peace among peoples.