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TODAY IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOST TRAGIC DAY OF THE 20TH CENTURY

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The April 24 of the year 1915 became one of the most tragic days of the Armenian nation and of the humanity in general. One and a half million Armenians living in the Western Armenia fell victims to the yataghan of the Ottoman Empire, and about 800 million Armenians managed to escape taking refuge in Eastern Armenia and in different corners of Europe and the civilized world.

Today the Armenian Diaspora is the testimony to the crime of the early 20th century which the successors of the Turkish criminal authorities refuse to recognize and condemn. Today and exceptional opportunity has been created when the interests of the Armenian nation to restore the historical justice partially coincide with the interests of the civilized world: the heads of different countries find the recognition and condemnation of the crime by Turkey important in their membership to the EU.

This crime against the humanity has not yet been condemned by the international community although on the way to this aim the Council of Europe, Russia, France, a number of European countries and states of the USA have said their honest word.

The works of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide started on April 24, 1965, The commemoration of the victims of the Genocide in connection with its 50th anniversary was connected with a number of difficulties. When the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia applied to Moscow with the petition to allow to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Genocide a special commission was formed in the Political Bureau in order to discuss the issue. Although reluctantly, the Commission which included Suslov, Potgorny, Gromiko and others agreed to give the permission.

The role of Yakov Zarobyan is unforgettable. Today the work that he started is coming to its logical end and many people are sure that not only the whole world but also Turkey will be unable to ignore the truth.

And today, on April 24, 2006, even the heavy rain did not keep thousands of citizens from heading for Tsitsernakaberd towards the memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Today the successors of one and a half million Armenians will re-experience the grief of their ancestors. One and a half million flowers will bow their heads around the flame keeping their memory alive in our hearts. And one and a half million prayers will rise to the sky. The same amount of candles will be lit for the souls of the innocent martyrs. And today our compatriots who survived in the Genocide will recall the spring of 1915 with pain in their heart and inconsolable grief.