Remarks of H.E. Viktor Biyagov, Ambassador of Armenia at the Concert Dedicated to the 109th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

18 April, 2024

Dear Members of Parliament,

Director Weststrate,

Dear compatriots,

Ladies and gentlemen,

One hundred and nine years ago, on April 24, Armenian intellectuals, community leaders and many others were arrested and exiled by the decision of Ottoman authorities. A fragment of an elaborate plan with an ultimate goal and I quote, “to leave behind one Armenian, and only in a museum” [end quote]. Subsequent deportation and marches to nowhere left 1.5 million Armenians dead. This crime, unknown to humanity at the time, was characterised by the international community as “a crime against humanity and civilization”.

Today, as we gathered here to commemorate what is usually referred to as the first genocide of the 20th century, I ask myself simple questions as to what the world would look like if the Armenian Genocide did not happen, or what the world would look like if the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide were punished and their atrocities condemned by the civilised world. And the answer is - we could have avoided further atrocities throughout the XX century in Europe, Africa or Asia. My people could have avoided another tragedy, another crime against it - the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh that happened before our eyes. I could go on and talk about the violations of the norms of International Law, but let us leave it to the professionals who are working vigorously these days to achieve justice not only for victims, but for the humankind. The sense of impunity does not only give birth to new crimes. Impunity itself is a crime because it discloses the inability to achieve justice. Student of the Lviv University Raphael Lemkin, who later introduced the term Genocide, was horrified to find out that no norms of international law existed to prosecute the Ottoman leaders for these crimes. Decades later forty-nine members of Lemkin’s own family perished in the Holocaust.

Genocide does not happen overnight. It is a pre-planned act that occurs when societies are poisoned by hatred. Even though genocide is committed against a certain group of people it affects not only the representatives of the group but the whole humanity. This is precisely why this crime needs a collective response.

Since the mid-20th Century the politicians and academia across the globe concentrated their efforts on putting in place legal mechanisms able to prevent and punish Genocide. On 11 December, 1946 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Resolution which paved the way for the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948. It was the first step of a long journey towards the elimination of this crime. Another milestone in it was the establishment of the International Criminal Court. Armenia joined the Rome Statute perceiving it as a hope for the future, free of the gravest crimes that are of concern to the whole of humanity.

Ladies and gentlemen,

For me, April 24th is not only about mourning. It is also about honouring the strength of my nation. Armenian people survived the Genocide thanks to its resilience and the unwavering will to live and create. Bearing the grief of the innocent victims in our souls, we feel the moral responsibility to lead international efforts towards prevention of genocides. These efforts are focused on the fight against impunity, restoring justice, creating early warning mechanisms, promoting education on past genocides and paying tribute to the memory of the victims. And, of course, recognition. The type of recognition that the survivors and their descendants deserve and accept. The type of recognition that refers to the whole international community without exception on any ground. The type of recognition that includes truth, justice, confession and repentance, memorialization, guarantees of non recurrence. The type of recognition that excludes denialism, as this leads to new atrocities and tragedies that we collectively try to prevent.

Armenia initiated and organized Global forums Against the Crime of Genocide since 2015. Days ago the UN Human Right Council adopted by concensus biannual resolution on the Prevention of Genocide, offered by Armenia. For the first time the contribution of the ICJ to the genocide prevention was acknowleged.

We must spare no efforts in creating a reality where human rights are guaranteed and each individual is able to live in dignity and security, irrespective of the group it represents.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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