April 24 is a very important day for Armenia and France, French Ambassador to Armenia, Henri Reynaud, told news reporters, when visiting the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan on April 24, ArmInfo's correspondent reports.
The ambassador recalled that France has recognized the events of the early20th century in Ottoman Turkey as Genocide. On this day many cities in France organize events commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Ambassador Reynaud said that the French people share the pain of the Armenian people. "Our countries and peoples have specific relations, and the big Armenian community in France largely contributes to these relations. We remember April 24. It is a very important date for us," he said.
This year, Armenians worldwide mark the 98th anniversary of that tragedy. Genocide of Armenians has been recognized by most of the United States as well as by dozens of countries, including Uruguay, Russia, Belgium, France, Argentina, Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Greece, Cyprus, Vatican, Sweden, Lithuania, the House of Representatives of the Canadian Parliament, the World Church Council and the Lower House of the Italian Parliament. The European Parliament passed a resolution recognizing the fact of Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkey on June 18 1987 and demanded the Council of Europe to exert pressure on Turkey in order that country recognizes the Armenian Genocide. Turkey still denies the genocide of 1,5 million Armenians in 1915-1923.