Thursday, April 28 2022 13:25

ArmInfo.An international symposium marking the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide has taken place in Athens, Greece. 

The event was organized by the RA Embassy in Greece and took place at  the assembly hall of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) on  April 27, attended by Athens Municipality representatives, foreign  ambassador to Greece, scholars and representatives of Armenian  organizations. 

The keynoter Ara Sarafian, Founding Director of the Gomidas Institute  in London, gave a talk entitled "Turkey and the Armenian Genocide:  commission, consolidation and denial."  

Geoffrey Ronald Robertson, a human rights barrister, academic,  founder and joint head of Doughty Street Chambers mad an opening  speech. 

Elaborating on the Armenian Genocide, he stressed that was a  premeditated crime aimed at annihilating the Armenians living in the  Ottoman Empire for ethnic and religious reasons. The Armenian  Genocide was a heinous crime that cannot be either forgiven or  forgotten. Greeks were genocide victims a well, but, unlike  Armenians, they had their homeland at that time and many of them  could settle down there.  

Although there was no international court to hold the masterminds  responsible, the British, French and Russian governments, on May 24,  1915, condemned the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, defining  it as "a crime against humanity and civilization" for the first time  in the history of international law.  

Mr Robertson, drew parallels between the Jewish Holocaust and the  Armenian Genocide and stressed that Germany was Turkey's ally then.  Later, inspired by the Armenian Genocide, Germany committed a similar  crime against Jews. 

Mr Robertson stressed that over thirty nations have recognized the  Armenian Genocide, and U.S. President Joe Biden has officially used  the term, but Great Britain and Israel are not among the nations.  They have not so far recognized the Armenian Genocide for some reason  or other. 

The participants were shown a short documentary entitled "Blue Book:  Evidence of Armenian Genocide" shot by Balista Media in 2015, on the  occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.  The  documentary was followed by a lecture by Ara Safarian. 

Speaking of the Armenian Genocide, Mr Safarian stated that, according  to Turkish archives, Talaat Pasha had minutely organized the Armenian  Genocide as he was well informed of the Armenians residing in those  regions. Moreover, even before the Armenian Genocide, the documents  of the U.S. consulates in Ottoman Turkey contained evidence the  Turkish authorities were preparing to annihilate Armenians. The  information was also received from different missions working on the  Ottoman Empire. 

Speaking of modern-day Turkey, Mr Safarian stressed that under Recep  Erdogan Turkey has used the issue of the Armenian Genocide as an  alternative policy.