Statement by President Serzh Sargsyan on the Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide

 Dear Compatriots,

Today, we commemorate the memory of the holy martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. More than a century has passed since the Meds Yeghern. What has changed? First of all we have changed. We have revived as a nation and as a state. We have proved to ourselves and to the world that Turkey failed in its genocidal plans. Our struggle for justice still goes on. What has not changed? The policy of denialism of the official Turkey has not changed, as has not changed its hostile attitude toward everything Armenian. This is nothing more than the direct continuation of the crime in our days. The Turkish society has partly changed. Today it knows more about its history than it knew yesterday. Tomorrow, it will know even more than it knows today if the freedom of expression and media is not oppressed, if parliamentarians, public figures and editors are not shot dead or detained. Slowly but surely the truth opens up the eyes of the people.

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Nowadays, the emotions and worries, discussions and analyses related to the act of war that occurred on April 2-5 have not calmed down yet. Azerbaijan unleashed another war against Artsakh. And once again was thrown back with very heavy losses. The true objective, or more precisely dream of Azerbaijan is to occupy Artsakh and ethnically cleanse it from Armenians. It implies that the population of Artsakh should be partly purged, partly deported as a result.

Today, on April 24, 2016, I declare for the entire world to hear: there will be neither extermination nor deportation of the Armenians in Artsakh. We will not tolerate another Armenian Genocide. By saying we, I mean the Armenian people, all its segments - I mean the Armenian unity.

Dear Compatriots,

Today, as we bow before the memory of our innocent victims, we witness the unprecedented consolidation and resolve of our people to build a free, peaceful and modern state a powerful Homeland for all the Armenians - where the generations of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and of those who have miraculously survived are returning.