Issue of Armenian Genocide is non-negotiable - neither on international arena, nor in Armenia itself - Serzh Sargsyan

ArmInfo. Armenia's third  president Serzh Sargsyan issued the following statement on the  occasion of the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:  

"The Armenian Genocide, which took place at the beginning of the 20th  century in the Ottoman Empire, was carried out right before the eyes  of the civilized world, enclosed in indifference, silence and  indolence of the progressive countries. 

"One and a half million Armenians were forcibly displaced, expelled  from their homeland and subjected to mass extermination, a vast part  of the millennia-long Armenian heritage was destroyed. Despite  multiple and obvious facts, reports of the witnesses Turkey continues  to deny this gravest crime which took place over a one hundred years  ago. 

"The first and unpunished genocide of the 20th century thus bred new  crimes against humanity carried out against other nations, ethnic  cleansing, xenophobia and genocides - all this, unfortunately, has  become a reality.  

"Only months ago, in September of 2023, Azerbaijan and Turkey, which  supports Azerbaijan openly and in every way, another 140 thousand  Armenians were expelled from their homeland where they lived for  millennia; some of them died on the route due to unbearable  conditions, hunger, disease, exhaustion and despair. Before the  forced expulsion, the Armenians of Artsakh nearly one year were  facing a daily threat of war, were subjected to a blockade and tough  conditions of the humanitiarian crisis. Following in the steps of the  Ottoman Empire, Azerbaijan today is erasing with impunity Armenian  traces, the millennia long historical and religious heritage. 

"Azerbaijan and Turkey, which call themselves "one nation - two  states", have made xenophobia their state policy, and today too,  through deceitful peaceloving slogans are trying to dull the  vigilence of the international community and bring to its conclusion  the crime, which was set into motion at the beginning of the last  century, and fulfill their long-cherised plan of Pan-Turkism. 

"Peace cannot be imposed under humiliating conditions. It leads  toward subjugation, rather than peace. 

"By making the current rulers of Armenia their stooges through the  threats and all kind of pressure, Turkey and Azerbaijan are striving  to get their dream at the expense of Armenia and the Armenian people.  After illicitly recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, the  current rulers of Armenia are now trying to send into oblivion the  Armenian Genocide, call the Armenian nation's struggle for historical  justice, restoration of our rights a threat for the statehood. It is  a threat only to their power but never to the state. 

"Today, we commemorate the one and a half million martyrs of the  Armenian Genocide and demand from the rulers of Armenia to keep on  the state agenda the Declaration adopted at the 100th anniversary of  the Armenian Genocide which represents the united will of the  Armenian nation. 

"The issue of the Armenian Genocide is non-negotiable - neither on  the international arena, nor in Armenia itself. 

"Only the immediate ousting of the defeatist authorities through the  all-national rising can save the state from the downfall."