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Scotsman, UK
April 24 2005
Armenians Mark Ottoman Empire 'Genocide' Date
Hundreds of thousands of Armenians marked the 90th anniversary of the
mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, vowing to press
their case to have the killings recognised by Turkey and the world as
genocide.
Waving flags and carrying flowers, people streamed through the
Armenian capital Yerevan yesterday and marched up to a massive
hilltop granite memorial to hear speeches and prayers.
Weeping mourners filed into the circular block memorial, laying
carnations on a flat surface surrounding a burning flame. A choir in
black sang hymns as the crowd filed past, some carrying umbrellas
against the sun.
The country observed a minute of silence at 7pm (3pm BST) and Yerevan
residents placed candles on window sills in memory of the victims.
Ottoman authorities began rounding up intellectuals, diplomats and
other influential Armenians in Istanbul on April 24 1915, as violence
and unrest grew, particularly in the eastern parts of the country.
Armenia says up to 1.5 million Armenians ultimately died or were
killed over several years as part of a genocidal campaign to force
them out of eastern Turkey.
Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
`The year 1915 was the frontier for the fate of the Armenians,
fundamentally changing the course of the development of the Armenian
people,' President Robert Kocharian said.
`Today we bow our heads with deep sorrow but with conviction that the
state of Armenia serves as the guarantor of the security of all
Armenians,' Kocharian said - a reference to the conflict with
Azerbaijan over the Nagorno Karabakh enclave, which ethnic Armenians
took control of following a six-year war.
Azerbaijan is Turkey's traditional ally and Turkey has maintained a
border blockade with Armenia since the 1990s in support of
Azerbaijan.
France, Russia and many other countries have already declared the
killings were genocide; the US, which has a large Armenian diaspora
community, has not.
US president George Bush issued a statement of solidarity with the
Armenian people from his ranch in Crawford, Texas.
`I join my fellow Americans and Armenian people around the world in
expressing my deepest condolences for this horrible loss of life,'
Bush said.
Turkey, which has no diplomatic ties with Armenia, is facing
increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the event, particularly as
it seeks membership in the European Union. The issue is extremely
sensitive in Turkey and Turks have faced prosecution for saying the
killings were genocide.
Ankara earlier this month called for the two countries to jointly
research the killings. Bush said he hoped the proposal could aid `a
future of freedom, peace and prosperity in Armenia and Turkey'.
Armenian communities around the world also marked the anniversary
with church services and demonstrations. In Moscow, hundreds attended
a memorial service at the construction site for an Armenian church,
while more than a hundred others waved flags and shouted outside the
Turkish Embassy.
In north-eastern Syria, 4,000 people flocked to the city of Marqada,
where thousands of Armenians are buried.
April 24 2005
Armenians Mark Ottoman Empire 'Genocide' Date
Hundreds of thousands of Armenians marked the 90th anniversary of the
mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, vowing to press
their case to have the killings recognised by Turkey and the world as
genocide.
Waving flags and carrying flowers, people streamed through the
Armenian capital Yerevan yesterday and marched up to a massive
hilltop granite memorial to hear speeches and prayers.
Weeping mourners filed into the circular block memorial, laying
carnations on a flat surface surrounding a burning flame. A choir in
black sang hymns as the crowd filed past, some carrying umbrellas
against the sun.
The country observed a minute of silence at 7pm (3pm BST) and Yerevan
residents placed candles on window sills in memory of the victims.
Ottoman authorities began rounding up intellectuals, diplomats and
other influential Armenians in Istanbul on April 24 1915, as violence
and unrest grew, particularly in the eastern parts of the country.
Armenia says up to 1.5 million Armenians ultimately died or were
killed over several years as part of a genocidal campaign to force
them out of eastern Turkey.
Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
`The year 1915 was the frontier for the fate of the Armenians,
fundamentally changing the course of the development of the Armenian
people,' President Robert Kocharian said.
`Today we bow our heads with deep sorrow but with conviction that the
state of Armenia serves as the guarantor of the security of all
Armenians,' Kocharian said - a reference to the conflict with
Azerbaijan over the Nagorno Karabakh enclave, which ethnic Armenians
took control of following a six-year war.
Azerbaijan is Turkey's traditional ally and Turkey has maintained a
border blockade with Armenia since the 1990s in support of
Azerbaijan.
France, Russia and many other countries have already declared the
killings were genocide; the US, which has a large Armenian diaspora
community, has not.
US president George Bush issued a statement of solidarity with the
Armenian people from his ranch in Crawford, Texas.
`I join my fellow Americans and Armenian people around the world in
expressing my deepest condolences for this horrible loss of life,'
Bush said.
Turkey, which has no diplomatic ties with Armenia, is facing
increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the event, particularly as
it seeks membership in the European Union. The issue is extremely
sensitive in Turkey and Turks have faced prosecution for saying the
killings were genocide.
Ankara earlier this month called for the two countries to jointly
research the killings. Bush said he hoped the proposal could aid `a
future of freedom, peace and prosperity in Armenia and Turkey'.
Armenian communities around the world also marked the anniversary
with church services and demonstrations. In Moscow, hundreds attended
a memorial service at the construction site for an Armenian church,
while more than a hundred others waved flags and shouted outside the
Turkish Embassy.
In north-eastern Syria, 4,000 people flocked to the city of Marqada,
where thousands of Armenians are buried.