May 27, 2014 | 14:39
YEREVAN. – No one should pin hopes that the centennial of the Armenian Genocide is a limit of our trial, President Serzh Sargsyan said on Tuesday (photo).
The President attended a meeting of the fourth meeting of a state commission dealing with preparations for the 100th anniversary of Armenian Genocide. The meeting focused on clarifying the schedule and strategy of the commission, and bought together representatives of regional commissions, experts, Armenian diplomats and the clergy.
“Crimes against humanity can not be expire. Recognition and condemnation of the terrible chapters of human history is the only way to prevent genocides. We, as people who survived the Genocide, have a special mission to rule out repetition of similar disasters,” President said in his speech.
He noted that Ankara takes new steps, which sometimes are unprecedented in their form, but, unfortunately, reflect the content of the same century-old denial policy by Turkey. They repeat the famous Turkish position, trying to distort history by putting a victim and an executioner at the same level and by comparing the incomparable.
“The only possible step that Turkish authorities should make to get rid of the heavy burden of past is to recognize the Armenian Genocide. It is impossible to achieve serious results by half-steps,” he said.
President informed about numerous invitations sent to the heads of several states to visit Armenia on April 24 and pay tribute to 1.5 million innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide.
“If the Turkish authorities are interested in truth, they must come to Armenia and stand next to the Armenian people on April 24. I do not think that after this they can voice the idea of visiting archives. Taking an occasion, I would like to officially invite the president of Turkey, who will be elected during the upcoming elections, to visit Armenia on April 24, 2015 and stand face to face with the eloquent evidence of the Armenian Genocide history,” he added.