Issue of Armenian Genocide is non-negotiable - neither on international arena, nor in Armenia itself - Serzh Sargsyan

ArmInfo. Armenia's third 

president Serzh Sargsyan issued the following statement on the 

occasion of the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:  

"The Armenian Genocide, which took place at the beginning of the 20th 

century in the Ottoman Empire, was carried out right before the eyes 

of the civilized world, enclosed in indifference, silence and 

indolence of the progressive countries. 

"One and a half million Armenians were forcibly displaced, expelled 

from their homeland and subjected to mass extermination, a vast part 

of the millennia-long Armenian heritage was destroyed. Despite 

multiple and obvious facts, reports of the witnesses Turkey continues 

to deny this gravest crime which took place over a one hundred years 

ago. 

"The first and unpunished genocide of the 20th century thus bred new 

crimes against humanity carried out against other nations, ethnic 

cleansing, xenophobia and genocides - all this, unfortunately, has 

become a reality.  

"Only months ago, in September of 2023, Azerbaijan and Turkey, which 

supports Azerbaijan openly and in every way, another 140 thousand 

Armenians were expelled from their homeland where they lived for 

millennia; some of them died on the route due to unbearable 

conditions, hunger, disease, exhaustion and despair. Before the 

forced expulsion, the Armenians of Artsakh nearly one year were 

facing a daily threat of war, were subjected to a blockade and tough 

conditions of the humanitiarian crisis. Following in the steps of the 

Ottoman Empire, Azerbaijan today is erasing with impunity Armenian 

traces, the millennia long historical and religious heritage. 

"Azerbaijan and Turkey, which call themselves "one nation - two 

states", have made xenophobia their state policy, and today too, 

through deceitful peaceloving slogans are trying to dull the 

vigilence of the international community and bring to its conclusion 

the crime, which was set into motion at the beginning of the last 

century, and fulfill their long-cherised plan of Pan-Turkism. 

"Peace cannot be imposed under humiliating conditions. It leads 

toward subjugation, rather than peace. 

"By making the current rulers of Armenia their stooges through the 

threats and all kind of pressure, Turkey and Azerbaijan are striving 

to get their dream at the expense of Armenia and the Armenian people. 

After illicitly recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, the 

current rulers of Armenia are now trying to send into oblivion the 

Armenian Genocide, call the Armenian nation's struggle for historical 

justice, restoration of our rights a threat for the statehood. It is 

a threat only to their power but never to the state. 

"Today, we commemorate the one and a half million martyrs of the 

Armenian Genocide and demand from the rulers of Armenia to keep on 

the state agenda the Declaration adopted at the 100th anniversary of 

the Armenian Genocide which represents the united will of the 

Armenian nation. 

"The issue of the Armenian Genocide is non-negotiable - neither on 

the international arena, nor in Armenia itself. 

"Only the immediate ousting of the defeatist authorities through the 

all-national rising can save the state from the downfall."