Wednesday, January 28, before an audience of 450 guests gathered at the Hotel du Collector, at the annual dinner organized by the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations in France, it’s Franz-Olivier Giesbert who had donned the costume emcee to announce the speeches of the two co-chairs of the CCAF, Mourad Papazian and Ara Toranian before the speech of President Hollande and the delivery of the Medal of Courage from the CFC to Charles Aznavour, very moved by Alexis Govciyan. (See speech of the two lowest co-chairs).

Numerous personalities from the political, artistic and media world had moved for this special dinner marking the centenary commemoration of the Armenian genocide, thus affirming their full support for the Armenian cause.

Paris (AFP) – President Francois Hollande called Wednesday on Turkey to continue its “truth force” about the Armenian genocide a century earlier, saying that “it is time to break taboos.”

“The truth of effort must continue and I am convinced that this centenary year will see new gestures, new steps on the road to recognition,” said he was at the annual dinner of the Coordinating Council of Organizations Armenian of France met in a Paris hotel.

Recalling that the Turkish authorities had wanted a year ago “to join in the commemoration and the suffering of the Armenian people,” the head of the French state, however, felt that it was only “a first movement “who” can not stop there. “

Hollande also recalled that he had “welcomed this sign” a year ago during a trip to Yerevan but he had “stressed (during this movement) that it could not be enough.”

“It is time to break the taboos and the two nations, Armenia and Turkey, invent a new start,” he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister, had last year an unexpected gesture, with the condolences of his country “to the grandchildren of Armenians killed in 1915”. But Armenia rejected these condolences, demanding recognition of the genocide and “repent”.

Turkey has always refused to admit any planned disposal, evoking the death of about 500,000 Armenians (against 1.5 million according to Armenia).

Disours Ara Toranian

Let me, first of all, thank you for honoring your presence this second dinner CCAF. I would also like to thank Honourable Ministers, Madam Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and all the ambassadors and personalities – Charles Aznavour Bernard-Henri Levy) who are with us this year so symbolic since for the first time in history, we will commemorate the centenary of genocide.

This is an exceptional event – the next of these will take place in three decades to a hundred years of the Holocaust – and your presence tonight shows that France is already the appointment of History at a height worthy of his rank.

To commemorate, it is characteristic of humanity, said the philosopher Alain. Especially when it comes to deaths that were as grave as our collective memory. On the land where they were exterminated, there is indeed no monument for Armenians, not even the slightest plate. There mausoleums for their executioners. And the only memorial dedicated to the victims of genocide in the land where they were murdered in the desert of Der Zor, Syria, the final destination of the deportation convoys, was blasted on September 18 by a jihadist organization whose ties with Ankara posed question.

This determination to pursue their dead into ossuaries reflects a criminal madness that is the most absolute savagery. A barbarity that has transcended time, to disfigure again this region from persecuting it remains Armenians, Yazidis, free Kurds, Assyrian-Chaldeans of our brothers in misfortune also targeted by the 1915 genocide.

But alas this barbarism also crossed the room to come knocking at the heart our capital, Paris, our press, Charlie Hebdo, our Jewish community, Porte de Vincennes, and on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz which has become the day to commemorate the Holocaust, the deadliest genocide of the twentieth century.

Mr. Chairman, as we well know, the more the world becomes more global, the more questions are globalized and we need solidarity. We live in the time that was given birth yesterday and what we will or we will not give birth today of tomorrow.

As your presence announced on 24 April in Yerevan, is an early response to all diversions operations aimed at creating an international event that same competitor in Turkey on April 24. Coarse maneuvers do not hesitate to change the historical dates for the purposes of the revisionist cause, the Battle of Gallipoli, the subject of this gathering which Erdogan has invited 101 heads of state, has always been celebrated on April 25th Day Allied landings and not April 24, which is worldwide the traditional day of commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

Mr. Chairman, The Armenian communities this year under the sign of memory and justice. But due to time constraints, I will not dwell this evening on the issue of property grabbing Armenians, their concealment, the issue refunds, repairs and status denial, we are still waiting to be protected by law. I will speak no serious threats to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, still face pan-Turkism, Azerbaijan and jihadists who went to Baku service since 1992.

For we are here too, beyond the evocation of the 1915 genocide and the dramatic events of 2015, to celebrate life, brotherhood and the spirit of resistance. This spirit, which vibrates in us the mere mention of our elders, those supporters Mavericks Manouchian group, the Jews, the Spaniards, the Armenians, the Italians and the Poles who gave their lives for the cause of freedom and France, which in reality are one and. This spirit of resistance that is at the heart of the values ​​of the republic, which we have seen the historical reminiscence on January 11 throughout the country. A movement which we were naturally involved, and that makes me say today that our greatest glory at all, is not in never falling, but to pick ourselves up, every time. Sets and solidarity.

Speech Mourad Papazian

There are 100 years … 100 years! A century! In 1915, the Turkish government launched the plan to exterminate the Armenian people. The elimination of a people of a territory. Men, women, children, the elderly have suffered the horror, atrocity, inhumanity, with death as perspective and survival as the slimmest of hopes. But hope nonetheless. Suffering is absolute, paroxysmal pain, pervasive trauma. For if in 1915, the government of Talaat, the Turkish Hitler, defined and executed the first genocide of the twentieth century, in 2015, 100 years later, a century later, the Erdogan government and organizes Davutoghlu denial of the Armenian Genocide . Here we are in 2015. This time we all dreaded. Now that in itself is a sad moment. This moment in history which leads us to the conclusion that successive Turkish governments have not done their working memory. 100 years have passed! 1 century! An eternity! Without the Turkish authorities, whatever they are, have expressed any sign towards recognition of the genocide committed in 1915, under a scheme Empire. Worse, they established a state lying on the Armenian Genocide by writing the story in reverse of reality. Worse, they still celebrate today Talaat memory, the Turkish Hitler, since Istanbul erected a mausoleum Talaat on the hill of Liberty, as the largest artery in Ankara is the Talaat avenue, since large cities Turkey have Talaat streets. Imagine now a street Hitler would fall under impossible! The unthinkable! Even the unimaginable! Turkey is unfortunately possible! And no voice is raised to condemn this unacceptable reality! Worse, Taner AgCam As written, the Turkish government has industrialized denial of the Armenian genocide. The Turkish communities throughout the world and in France too, are organized, politicized funded. Paramilitary militias are present in the territory.

Today we were in Strasbourg at the hearing of the ECHR which must rule on the case against Perinçek Switzerland. This hearing sadly convinced us that the Turkish authorities are in a radicalization of attitude. The radicalization of the lie, the radicalization of denial, the radicalization of their anti-Armenian posture. This morning in Strasbourg, the French government was, as the CFC, third party next to Switzerland in the Perincek case against Switzerland. A comforting support and confirming your will, Mr. President, penalizing denial of the Armenian genocide by a government bill. The judgment of the ECHR will depend the future of laws criminalizing denial of the Armenian genocide.

Justice is at the heart of the struggle of the Armenian people for decades.

2015 must be the year of truth and justice. The reconciliation process must be based on the repairs. 2015 must be the year of the great voices. Great Voices must manifest clearly and powerfully, with authority. As Jaurès, we celebrated in Yerevan in September, which had risen several times to the National Assembly to denounce the massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, as Mitterrand, who was the first head of state to have recognized the Armenian genocide in 1984, as you Mr. President, that you have demonstrated your commitment to the Armenian cause on many occasions, both in the National Assembly with the launch of penalization process of denial of the Armenian genocide, that by participating in the commemorations of the Armenian Genocide in Paris yesterday and tomorrow in Yerevan. And finally, on your initiative, the presence of France in support of Switzerland in the Perinçek trial is a major commitment that we measure at fair value. Hopefully it will be decisive.

You should know cause history. And the dream we all do together is to write this page of history with the ink of reconciliation. Reconciliation is possible only if it is backed by the truth, if it is based on justice and if it is the result of a process of repair. And forgiveness is the result of repairs. Forgiveness does not forget the past, but it widens the future! With Ghandi, we might remember that “the weak can not forgive. Forgiveness belongs to the strong. »

So yes, everything is still possible. And 2015 may be the year in which forgiveness can become a future perspective for Turkey, Armenia and the Armenian nation worldwide. And you, Mr. President of the Republic, one of the few people in the world that can build a bridge between us and accelerate during the year 2015, the reconciliation process on the basis of the triptych truth-justice-repairs.

#armeniangenocide

Souce: http://www.armenews.com