Commemoration events in the Netherlands dedicated to the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

24 April, 2020

Thanks to the efforts of Armenian organizations in the Netherlands, including the Federation of Armenian Organizations of the Netherlands and Armenian Cooperatives Organizations, events dedicated to the commemoration of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide were held with a small number of participants. Those events were also broadcasted online, giving a number of compatriots within and outside the Netherlands to participate in the events virtually.

In the evening of April 23, H.E. Mr Tigran Balayan, Ambassador of Armenia to the Netherlands, in his video message addressed to the compatriots living in the Netherlands, emphasizing that, despite the unusual situation, the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be commemorated in a unified way and with more symbolic expressions of solidarity and support from our Dutch friends.

The ambassador also informed that on the initiative of the Embassy the Dutch Church Council, which unites 18 church communities, has developed a special prayer in memory of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. On April 22, this prayer was provided to all the churches operating in the Netherlands to be used during the liturgies of the coming days to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the memory of the holy martyrs.

In his address to the online commemoration ceremony of the Federation of Armenian Organizations of the Netherlands, Mr Aris Slob, Minister of Education and Media of the Netherlands, noted: "Five years ago, I was present at the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of those terrible events in Yerevan, Armenia. Now, five years later, as a minister, I was to lay a wreath at the monument, and it is a pity that it did not happen because of the coronavirus. But this Friday we remember the Armenians and other nations who were martyred 105 years ago. We also join the Armenians living in the Netherlands, who will have to observe the 105th commemoration ceremony in a different way, in silence. ”

On April 23, Archbishop Khazhak Barsamyan, Pontifical Delegate for Western Europe, Representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the Vatican, sent a message on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

On the morning of April 24, Ambassador Balayan laid a wreath at the Armenian Genocide Monument on the wall of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Spirit Church in Amsterdam, expressing great importance to our, as well as to the sympathy and support of the friendly people of the Netherlands, even during these unusual conditions. Members of the Dutch House of Representatives, President of the Netherlands-Armenia Friendship Framework Joel Fordewind, representatives of Armenian community organizations in Amsterdam, representatives of Amsterdam City Hall paid tribute to the memory of the holy martyrs in front of the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Amsterdam.

On the same day, Ambassador Balayan visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in the Armenian-populated city of Almelo, where he laid a wreath in memory of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide together with Mayor Arjen Kheritsen. On behalf of Ambassador Balayan a wreath was laid during the commemoration ceremony near the cross stone-monument in Assen, which is the first monument dedicated to the Armenian Genocide in the Netherlands and is 20 years old.

Former and current members of the Dutch parliament, members of the Christian Democratic Appeal in the European Parliament have expressed their support and solidarity to the Armenian people through video messages on the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

On April 24, Armenian community organizations in the Netherlands circulated a number of videos and films dedicated to the memory of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, as well as to the 20th anniversary of the first monument in the country.

The Nederlands Dagblad daily newspaper, the Public Radio of the Netherlands, and a number of other media outlets have widely covered the commemoration of the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

A number of public events dedicated to the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the country have been cancelled due to restrictions in the Netherlands implemented against the spread of coronavirus.

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