A motion commemorating the Armenian genocide has won the backing of a highly symbolic 65 MSPs – a majority of the Scottish Parliament.
The motion, which has been lodged by Edinburgh Central MSP Marco Biagi, comes almost one hundred years after the genocide.
Commenting on the motion’s success Dr Hagop Bessos, son of Armenian genocide survivors, said,
“This is a very important step for the majority of the members of the Scottish Parliament to recognise what happened during the Armenian genocide. Many other countries have recognised the genocide and I am pleased that Scotland’s MSPs now symbolically join that list.
“By commemorating the Armenian genocide, those MSPs have not only heightened its awareness in Scotland but also helped repudiate all acts of genocide and underlined the need for peace and reconciliation.”
Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer & EU Consultant said, “With over half the Parliament’s MSPs signing up to support the motion, it is quite clear to me that the Scottish Parliament is increasingly more sensitive to the Armenian Genocide”
“The anniversary of the Armenian tragedy gives reason for peoples of all nations to pause and reflect on all past genocides. Its commemoration ensures that acts of violence such as those witnessed during the Armenian genocide or more recent ones are not repeated in any part of the world.”
Notes to Editors:
1. 65 MSPs have signed the motion, including representatives from all of the political parties represented at Holyrood. A list of the MSPs who have signed the motion can be seen at:
https://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx?SearchType=Advance&ReferenceNumbers=S4M-06266&ResultsPerPage=10
2. The text of the motion reads:
That the Parliament notes that 24 April is the anniversary of the government of the Ottoman Empire arresting Armenian intellectuals in 1915, which is generally considered to be the beginning of the forced relocations and expulsions that led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Armenians in a systematic genocide over the course of eight years; believes that the Armenian tragedy gives the people of every nation reason to pause and reflect; commemorates all those who have fallen victim to genocide or attempted genocide, and recognises this and all other genocides as tragedies that should never be repeated in any part of the world.