Persecuted peoples united in Armenian Genocide day in Brussels 2014

By Roni Alasor / Lorin Sarkisian – Brussels, 24 April 2014 – Ararat News (ANP) – 24 April, the day of remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, has been commemorated by millions of Armenians all over the world. In the capital of the European Union Brussels, representatives of different ethnical minorities as Jews, Tutsi, Assyrian-Syriacs, Kurds, Pontius-Greeks, EU and Belgian politicians showed solidarity with the Armenian people. This year’s ceremony started with church liturgy in the Armenian church and continued on the Armenian Genocide Monument Khatchkar in square Michaux (Ixelles, Brussels).

The Armenian priest Révérend Père Zadig Avédikian leaded the prayer “in the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and all the Genocides and crimes perpetrated by human beings against other human beings”.

Michel Mahmourian, President of the Committee of the Armenians in Belgium, underlined  the continuing negationism, the policy of denial of the Armenian genocide by the Turkish state. Mahmourian regretted that the European countries tolerate Turkey’s policy on the Armenian question, citing as example the decision of Belgium to dedicate the next year’s cultural festival Europalia to Turkey, while the Armenian community will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The President of the Armenians’ Committee in Belgium thanked all the representatives of different ethnical minorities, organizations and parties who joined the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Brussels.

Flowers and condolences for the victims of the Armenian Genocide have been offered by the Vice President of the European Parliament Isabelle Durant, the Vice President of the Belgian Senate Armand De Decker, the State Secretary of Brussels Region, the Armenian Embassy in Brussels, the President of the Kurdistan People’s Congress (Kongra-Gel) Remzi Kartal; member of Executive Committee of Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Zubeyir Aydar, President of Party for Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) Abdul Rahman Haji Ahmadi, the Committee for coordination of the Jewish organizations in Belgium, the Association Ibuka Memoire-Justice (Rwanda), The Assyrian Genocide and Research, Seyfo Center and Youth Assyrians in Belgium, the Greeks of Thrace and Pontius, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Tashnaktsutyun, the Armenian Youth organisation Hayassa, the Armenian associations Mesrop Mashtots (Liege) and Noy (Antwerp).

The commemoration continued with peaceful march from the Turkish Embassy in Brussels to the Place de Schuman / the European Commission.

In Turkey, the Kurdish political parties and organisations as DTK, BDP, HDK, HDP, KCK and Kongra Gel called the Turkish state to “face its history and recognise the genocide against Armenians, Assyrians-Syriac, Yezidi-Kurds, Alevits and other minorities in order to prevent future crimes against humanity”. Next year, will be marked the 100th anniversary of the Armenian fight for recognition of the  crimes committed against Armenian people in the Turkish-Ottoman Empire. Click for pictures: http://www.araratnews.com/nuce.php?aid=719