RPA member reminds RA premier`s fellow-member of Serzh Sargsyan`s  position on intermnational recognition of Armenian Genocide 

ArmInfo. Representative of the Executive Body of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), former Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov responded to the allegations of MP from the ruling Civil Contract faction Vahagn Aleksanyan that in 2010, the third President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan asked then US Vice President Joe Biden to tone down the issue of the Armenian Genocide and not talk about it.

Sharmazanov recalled that on January 29, 2015, Serzh Sargsyan  condemned Turkey's policy of denial and called on it to recognize the  Armenian Genocide.

"It is an indisputable fact that the cornerstone of Armenia's foreign  policy in 2008-2018 was the condemnation and recognition of the  Armenian Genocide," the Republican noted.

Sharmazanov recalled that during the specified period the Armenian  Genocide was recognized by many states: the Parliament of Sweden in  2010, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia - 2014, the  statement of His Holiness Pope Francis during the mass - 2015, the  Chamber of Deputies of Chile - 2015, the Foreign Affairs Committee of  the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic - 2015, the resolution  of the European Parliament on the occasion of the 100th anniversary  of the Armenian Genocide - 2015, the statement of the Parliament of  Austria on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian  Genocide - 2015, the statement of the President of Germany Joachim  Gauck condemning the Armenian Genocide - 2015, the statement of the  State Duma of Russia on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the  Armenian Genocide - 2015, the resolution of the Parliament of  Luxembourg - 2015, the resolution of the Senate of Brazil - 2015  year, resolution of the Belgian House of Representatives - 2015,  resolution of the Paraguayan Senate - 2015, resolution of the Cypriot  Parliament on the criminalization of the denial of the Armenian  Genocide - 2015, statement of the Greek Parliament on the 100th  anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the same year, resolution of  the German Bundestag - 2016, approval by the French Senate of a  resolution on criminal liability for the denial of the Armenian  Genocide - 2016, resolution of the Czech House of Representatives  from 2017.

He added that, among other things, on April 24, 2015, in  Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide was condemned by Russian  President Vladimir Putin and French President Francois Hollande.

"On January 29, 2015, under the leadership of Serzh Sargsyan, the  Pan-Armenian Declaration was adopted, which was read by the third  president in Tsitsernakaberd, and where he clearly and directly  called on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide, condemning its  blockade of Armenia," Sharmazanov recalled.

Then the Republican cited the statement read by Serzh Sargsyan on  that day: "Condemns the illegal blockade of Armenia by Turkey, the  anti-Armenian position demonstrated on international platforms, and  the setting of preconditions for the normalization of interstate  relations, considering this a consequence of impunity to this day for  the Armenian Genocide."

According to him, paragraph 8 of the above-mentioned declaration,  which was read by Serzh Sargsyan:  "Calls on Turkey to recognize and  condemn the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire and to  come into contact with its own history, honoring the memory of the  victims of this terrible crime against humanity, rejecting the policy  of falsification, denial of undeniable reality and relativization."

Sharmazanov once again emphasized that the cornerstone of President  Serzh Sargsyan's foreign policy was the condemnation of the Armenian  Genocide.

"During his rule, Cyprus and France even criminalized the denial of  the Armenian Genocide. In 2015, Serzh Sargsyan publicly condemned  Turkey's steps to blockade Armenia and called on the Turkish  leadership to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide. With these  arguments, with the truth, we must expose the lies and falsifications  directed against us," the Republican summed up.