Argentina Commemorates the 101th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

The ceremony for the 101th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Argentina was held during the afternoon of Saturday April 23, with a letter of President Mauricio Macri and the presence of the President of the Senate, Federico Pinedo, and Jorge Macri, mayor of Vicente Lopez, Buenos Aires.

President Macri sent a letter regretting not being able to attend and send a message of "permanent memory of the victims, convinced that only respect for the highest values ​​and principles will lead them down the road of peace and encounter."

Federico 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."

Federico Pinedo

"The Armenian Genocide was the prelude to the Holocaust and it was tried to hide for long. In Argentina we took an important step when several years ago, along with leaders of other parties, we encouraged a law that declared April 24 as the Day for Tolerance and Respect between Peoples," said Senator Pinedo in an interview with Prensa Armenia.

On military attacks Azerbaijan to Karabakh, Pinedo, who was part of the parliamentary friendship group with Azerbaijan, reiterated that his position was "the position of Argentina: to try to cooperate so that the countries find the solution in the framework of peaceful negotiation."

"We are obviously against any use of violence and attempts to unbalance the situation in Karabakh by force," said Pinedo. The event made a strong emphasis on the military aggression of Azerbaijan against the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

For his part, Jorge Macri thanked the Armenian community for "building Argentina". "You can count with me to demand peace and justice in Karabakh," he added.

Jorge Macri

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.

"On the eve of April 24, 101 years of the Armenian Genocide, Armenian blood is spilled in a sacred part of our country, the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. Encouraged by Turkey, Aliyev, the bloody and corrupt dictator of Azerbaijan, bombards Armenian school where children die and are wounded, he launches missiles against civilians, murders elderly, cut ears, tears eyes, hands of the Islamic State beheads Armenian soldiers from 18 to 20 years old and they are proud of it," denounced Harutiunian.

"We should also mention that the Armenian community of Argentina is committed to support and rebuild the Talish village destroyed by the Azeris," added Harutiunian.

Alexan Harutiunian

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 to avoiding truce fighting and loss of life of civilians and military" in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We demand the international community to pressure Turkey to recognize the responsibilities of the Ottoman government in the planning and execution of the Armenian genocide, and to oversee the maintenance of the ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, to ensure the solution of the conflict by peaceful means, with respect to self-determination and the norms of international law."