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AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x137
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.agbu.org
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, August 11, 2005
AGBU LONDON SPONSORS INTERNATIONAL GENOCIDE CONFERENCE AT THE HOUSE OF
LORDS
London, England -- In commemoration of the 90th Anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide, AGBU London sponsored an international conference
entitled "Recognizing Genocides" on June 15, 2005 at the House of
Lords. The conference was organized by the British-Armenian All Party
Parliamentary Group (BAAPPG). Over 200 participated in the day's
commemorative events, including parliamentarians, government
officials, scholars, media and community leaders as well as AGBU
London members and officers.
The daylong program began with a requiem service at St. Margaret's
Church Westminster, otherwise known as the "Church of the British
Parliament." The service was officiated jointly by Canon Robert
Wright, Rector of St. Margaret's Church, and His Grace Bishop Nathan
Hovanissian, Primate of Armenian Churches in Great Britain. Readings
were given by Rabbi Baaden, Reverend John Winburne and Bishop
Hovanissian, who also delivered a message on behalf of His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.
Immediately following the service, attendees made their way to the
Moses Room at the House of Lords for the conference, which was chaired
by His Excellency Dr. Vahe Gabrielyan, Armenian Ambassador to the
United Kingdom, and moderated by Baroness Caroline Cox, Deputy Speaker
of Britain's House of Lords.
Conference participants included keynote speaker Vartan Oskanian,
Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs; François Rochebloine, a member
of the French Parliament and Chairman of the Franco-Armenian
Parliamentary Group; Sarkis Assadourian, a former Canadian Member of
Parliament and Senior Advisor on the Caucasus to the Canadian Prime
Minister; and James Smith, the Executive Director of the Holocaust
Memorial Trust Beth Shalom.
All speakers noted the significance of holding the conference in the
House of Lords and expressed the wish that the British Parliament
would, in the future, recognize the Armenian Genocide joining the
seventeen other countries that have already done so.
"The saddest point is that governments such as the United Kingdom in a
house such as this will have to carry the shame of repudiating the
genocide," said Smith. He went further by saying that remembrance is a
message to perpetrators that justice will eventually prevail and is a
deterrent for the future.
Speaking on behalf of the Republic of Armenia, Oskanian emphasized
that, unlike Turkey, Armenia wanted to normalize relations with Turkey
without any preconditions and was prepared to do so now. However, he
stressed that this did not mean that the Armenian Government would
stop demanding the recognition by Turkey of the Armenian
Genocide. Citing the latest adoption of document 305 of the Turkish
penal code that makes the use of the term genocide a punishable crime,
Oskanian said, "One does not knock on Europe's door by blindfolding
historians and gagging writers."
In his address, Rochebloine reminded the conference how the Turkish
Government used the usual twin methods of applying pressure and
threats against the economic interests of France to stop members of
the French Parliament from voting for recognition of the
Genocide. "The Armenian Genocide no longer needs to be proved." He
continued by stating that Europe's values " must not be diluted by
accepting a nation that practices bargaining on such values...the
process of international recognition must be irreversible."
He spoke of Turkey's continued use of enormous resources to subvert
the truth and discredit all those who campaign for the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide with lies and misinformation, like the DVD that
was distributed in the June 6, 2005 issue of Time Magazine. "The
existing negationist state discourse is completely unacceptable. It is
trying to wipe out memory," said Rochebloine referring to Turkey's
endorsement of Armenian Genocide denial as official foreign policy.
Ambassador Gabrielyan closed the conference by thanking speakers,
guests, AGBU London for its generous help and sponsorship, BAAPGG and,
in particular, BAAPPG Executive Secretary Odette Bazil for organizing
the event.
Following the conference, a petition of over 3000 signatures urging
Her Majesty's Government to recognize the Armenian Genocide was hand
delivered to 10 Downing Street, the home and office of Prime Minister
Tony Blair by a delegation comprised of BAAPPG members and guests (as
pictured).
The AGBU London-sponsored commemorative activity concluded with a
parliamentary debate at the House of Lords on July 14, 2005 following
a question by Baroness Cox of whether Her Majesty's Government would
reconsider its position with regard to the recognition of the Armenian
massacres of 1915 as Genocide.
Founded in 1910, AGBU London is dedicated to preserving and promoting
the Armenian identity and heritage through humanitarian, educational
and cultural programs in the United Kingdom and Armenia. For more
information, please contact AGBU London by visiting www.agbu.org.uk,
emailing [email protected] or writing Harout Aghajanian, P.O. Box
3102, Barnet EN4 0ZL, U.K.
For more information on AGBU and its worldwide chapters, please visit
www.agbu.org.
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x137
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.agbu.org
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, August 11, 2005
AGBU LONDON SPONSORS INTERNATIONAL GENOCIDE CONFERENCE AT THE HOUSE OF
LORDS
London, England -- In commemoration of the 90th Anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide, AGBU London sponsored an international conference
entitled "Recognizing Genocides" on June 15, 2005 at the House of
Lords. The conference was organized by the British-Armenian All Party
Parliamentary Group (BAAPPG). Over 200 participated in the day's
commemorative events, including parliamentarians, government
officials, scholars, media and community leaders as well as AGBU
London members and officers.
The daylong program began with a requiem service at St. Margaret's
Church Westminster, otherwise known as the "Church of the British
Parliament." The service was officiated jointly by Canon Robert
Wright, Rector of St. Margaret's Church, and His Grace Bishop Nathan
Hovanissian, Primate of Armenian Churches in Great Britain. Readings
were given by Rabbi Baaden, Reverend John Winburne and Bishop
Hovanissian, who also delivered a message on behalf of His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.
Immediately following the service, attendees made their way to the
Moses Room at the House of Lords for the conference, which was chaired
by His Excellency Dr. Vahe Gabrielyan, Armenian Ambassador to the
United Kingdom, and moderated by Baroness Caroline Cox, Deputy Speaker
of Britain's House of Lords.
Conference participants included keynote speaker Vartan Oskanian,
Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs; François Rochebloine, a member
of the French Parliament and Chairman of the Franco-Armenian
Parliamentary Group; Sarkis Assadourian, a former Canadian Member of
Parliament and Senior Advisor on the Caucasus to the Canadian Prime
Minister; and James Smith, the Executive Director of the Holocaust
Memorial Trust Beth Shalom.
All speakers noted the significance of holding the conference in the
House of Lords and expressed the wish that the British Parliament
would, in the future, recognize the Armenian Genocide joining the
seventeen other countries that have already done so.
"The saddest point is that governments such as the United Kingdom in a
house such as this will have to carry the shame of repudiating the
genocide," said Smith. He went further by saying that remembrance is a
message to perpetrators that justice will eventually prevail and is a
deterrent for the future.
Speaking on behalf of the Republic of Armenia, Oskanian emphasized
that, unlike Turkey, Armenia wanted to normalize relations with Turkey
without any preconditions and was prepared to do so now. However, he
stressed that this did not mean that the Armenian Government would
stop demanding the recognition by Turkey of the Armenian
Genocide. Citing the latest adoption of document 305 of the Turkish
penal code that makes the use of the term genocide a punishable crime,
Oskanian said, "One does not knock on Europe's door by blindfolding
historians and gagging writers."
In his address, Rochebloine reminded the conference how the Turkish
Government used the usual twin methods of applying pressure and
threats against the economic interests of France to stop members of
the French Parliament from voting for recognition of the
Genocide. "The Armenian Genocide no longer needs to be proved." He
continued by stating that Europe's values " must not be diluted by
accepting a nation that practices bargaining on such values...the
process of international recognition must be irreversible."
He spoke of Turkey's continued use of enormous resources to subvert
the truth and discredit all those who campaign for the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide with lies and misinformation, like the DVD that
was distributed in the June 6, 2005 issue of Time Magazine. "The
existing negationist state discourse is completely unacceptable. It is
trying to wipe out memory," said Rochebloine referring to Turkey's
endorsement of Armenian Genocide denial as official foreign policy.
Ambassador Gabrielyan closed the conference by thanking speakers,
guests, AGBU London for its generous help and sponsorship, BAAPGG and,
in particular, BAAPPG Executive Secretary Odette Bazil for organizing
the event.
Following the conference, a petition of over 3000 signatures urging
Her Majesty's Government to recognize the Armenian Genocide was hand
delivered to 10 Downing Street, the home and office of Prime Minister
Tony Blair by a delegation comprised of BAAPPG members and guests (as
pictured).
The AGBU London-sponsored commemorative activity concluded with a
parliamentary debate at the House of Lords on July 14, 2005 following
a question by Baroness Cox of whether Her Majesty's Government would
reconsider its position with regard to the recognition of the Armenian
massacres of 1915 as Genocide.
Founded in 1910, AGBU London is dedicated to preserving and promoting
the Armenian identity and heritage through humanitarian, educational
and cultural programs in the United Kingdom and Armenia. For more
information, please contact AGBU London by visiting www.agbu.org.uk,
emailing [email protected] or writing Harout Aghajanian, P.O. Box
3102, Barnet EN4 0ZL, U.K.
For more information on AGBU and its worldwide chapters, please visit
www.agbu.org.