Argentina marked the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on Saturday, April 23 afternoon, with the President of the Senate, Federico Pinedo, and Jorge Macri, mayor of Vicente Lopez, Buenos Aires attending the commemoration ceremony, Prensa Armenia reports.

President Mauricio Macri sent a letter regretting not being able to attend. In his letter, he called for “everlasting memory of the victims, convinced that only respect for the highest values and principles will lead them to the road of peace and encounter.”

Pinedo said in his speech that it was “essential to remember the Armenian Genocide and repudiate the facts and attitudes of persecuting others for belonging to other ethnic groups.”

J. Macri, in turn, thanked the Armenian community for “building Argentina.”

The Armenian ambassador, Alexan Harutiunian, announced that Armenia will give the City of Buenos Aires a statue of St. Gregory of Narek to be placed in the Armenia Square of Palermo neighborhood, as a symbol of friendship and gratitude to Pope Francis for having recognized the Armenian Genocide on April 12, 2015.

Also, in a speech on behalf of the Armenian community of Argentina, it was announced a request to the country’s authorities “to require the implementation of measures designed to support the peace process and avoid truce fighting and loss of life of civilians and military” in Nagorno Karabakh.