17/10/2014 18:46
Sargsyan: Not only survived, but laid foundation of independent statehood
In Armenia, the State Commission on the Coordination of Events dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is doing preparatory work in four main directions, Chief of the Armenian Presidential Staff, coordinator of the events dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial Vigen Sargsyan said today during the presentation of the book “Armenian Genocide: Frontpage Coverage in the World Press” written by Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyan.
According to Vigen Sargsyan, the first direction is perpetuation of the memory. “The memory of our victims, our heritage for the return of which we still have to take measures. The second direction is gratitude. A hundred years ago a decision to defend someone, to support someone at a difficult time was an exceptional phenomenon. When turning the pages of this album, one can see how large-scale the support was. Private persons, organizations, states, peoples openly supported us. The 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is an occasion to express gratitude to all those who wasn’t afraid to act,” V. Sargsyan said.
The third direction, in his words, consists in strengthening Armenia’s role in the international fight against genocide. “Our position is that the Armenians who were subjected to genocide should remind everyone of the full scale and danger of this crime. We should be involved in the international fight against crimes against humanity, genocides. Today this subject is topical as never before, given the criminal developments with respect to Christians and other minorities in the Middle East”, the Presidential Staff’s chief said.
The fourth direction is rebirth, Vigen Sargsyan said. “To survive genocide is one thing, to revive after it is quite another. Looking back, we can see that we have much to be proud of. Not only did we survive, but we also laid the foundation of independent statehood and won the war forced upon us,” he stated.