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European civil society asks Obama to recognize the Armenian Genocide

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  • European civil society asks Obama to recognize the Armenian Genocide

    EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION For Justice & Democracy
    Avenue de la Renaissance 10
    B-1000 Bruxelles
    Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
    Website :Eafjd [1]
    -------------------------
    PRESS RELEASE

    PRESS RELEASE
    TUESDAY 7 APRIL 2009

    CONTACT : VARTéNIE ECHO

    TEL. / FAX. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27
    EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY ASKS OBAMA TO RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE


    -- 340 ORGANIZATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS OF 22 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ASK
    PRESIDENT OBAMA TO HONOUR HIS PLEDGE OF RECOGNIZING THE ARMENIAN
    GENOCIDE.--

    Brussels, Belgium- On Friday 3 April, the European Armenian
    Federation for Justice and Democracy sent a letter to President Obama
    signed by more than 340 associations from European civil society when
    he was just leaving Europe for Turkey.

    All these associations mainly made up by descendants of survivors of
    the Armenian Genocide ask the American President to honour his pledge
    to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

    In this regard, this letter emphasizes various statements made by
    President Obama who made far more than his predecessors on the
    recognition of the Unpunished Genocide and was a key-point of his
    foreign policy. Barack Obama declared his firm conviction `that the
    Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point
    of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an
    overwhelming body of historical evidence' and he affirmed that `as
    President', he will `recognize the Armenian Genocide' and allow
    the pending resolutions in the Congress.

    The letter given to the White House on the 3 April takes note of
    `the efforts made by entities that do not share' the US
    president's vision of humanity ` clearly speaking Turkey and
    reactionary forces in the United States - and that aim to prevent the
    US `administration from pursuing these progressive policies' on
    the Genocide issue to highlight by contrast the positive aspects that
    would have such a recognition on International politics and regional
    stability.

    The petition thus states that European Armenians along with other
    European mainstream democratic forces would never accept Turkey's
    membership as long as `the Turkish state denies the Armenian
    Genocide, promotes racism and pursues a policy of discrimination
    towards its minorities'. It also underscores that the genocide
    recognition by the United States `will unleash the momentum of true
    change and democratization inside Turkey; a momentum which must lead
    to an ultimate recognition of this mass crime by Turkey itself'. The
    petition finally stresses that the recognition `will also provide an
    unprecedented momentum to the process of dialogue between Turkey and
    Armenia' in making clear that `the way forward will definitely
    require of Turkey a fundamental commitment to just peace'.

     `Our approach ` the European citizens' approach and
    especially the one of the European Armenians ` aims at supporting on
    this particular issue the vision of the new US administration:
    Recognizing the Armenian Genocide means moving toward a durable peace;
    it means more stability, more justice and more democracy in the
    region. These are European values, these are the ones of the European
    Armenian Federation and, with President Obama, we wish that they
    become again the ones of the United States stated Hilda Tchoboian, the
    chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.

    Taking example on the `Turkey's recent support for the Sudanese
    president who is under arrest warrant by the International Criminal
    Court', the call highlights that any step backward on the Armenian
    Genocide recognition process `would be interpreted by
    genocide-perpetrating governments as full license to continue their
    bloody acts and criminal complicities'.

     `Recognizing the Armenian Genocide is not an act of hostility
    against Turkey as claimed by hawkish supporters of RealPolitik. On the
    contrary, it will help Turkey to be set free from its bloody past to
    stand with credibility at the respectable place it seeks among the
    International community' concluded Hilda Tchoboian.

    The European Armenian Federation recalls that associations that have
    not signed the letter can still do it on the website of the European
    Armenian Federation [4].
    -------------------------

    Links:
    ------
    [1] http://achkhar.eafjd.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm /extern/url.php?u=3192&qid=784269
    [2]
    http://a chkhar.eafjd.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/ url.php?u=3193&qid=784269
    [3] http://achkhar.eafjd.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm /extern/url.php?u=3194&qid=784269
    [4] http://achkhar.eafjd.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm /extern/url.php?u=3195&qid=784269

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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