Aravot.am has already been informed that the Vice Speaker of the National Assembly, Edward Sharmazanov, had a telephone conversation with former Parliamentary Speaker of Greece, Apostolos Kaklamanis, in the tenure of which the Armenian Genocide was adopted and who is the Head of the Greece-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group. “I have sent my greetings on behalf of the National Assembly, and have expressed thanks to their 54 deputies who voted in favor of and have assured that this is not only a move in the direction of condemning the Armenian Genocide, but a struggle against denial,” said the Vice Speaker of the National Assembly, also the Head of Armenia-Greece Parliamentary Friendship Group, today, in the conversation with the journalists.
Note that yesterday the Parliament of Greece adopted the bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide. “This bill closes the door before new genocides, and on behalf of all the deputies, he mentioned that they are fighting for democracy and recognition of genocide, and said that our struggle together is yet to come,” said the Speaker. Edward Sharmazanov considers the bill of the Greek Parliament important for the reason that the newly elected President of Turkey, Erdoğan, had met with the Prime Minister of Greece in Newport and had expressed his resentment about this bill, but his actual pressure did not work out. To the question by one of journalists whether in his opinion this bill can contribute to the fact that in the future, the French parliament would also adopted such a bill, Edward Sharmazanov responded that he has met with the French parliamentarians and will meet tomorrow.
The meeting was with the leader of the socialists’ faction. They assured that they are in favor of the bill to pass, and they find that there cannot be two opinions here, and no matter how much pressures come from the Turkish side, they will going for this move, and it is their political will to recognize the bill of condemnation. “Valérie Boyer has a new draft of this bill, we need to be interested in her party and the Socialists be together on this issue because the Armenian Genocide does not recognize party affiliation,” said Edward Sharmazanov, adding that the fight against denial of the genocide is taking a new impetus. “We saw that what is irreversible, should happen. The international advanced humanity understands that as long as those who deny the undeniable, the genocide and crimes against humanity, are not punished by the law, there is a danger that the genocide would reoccur, and in fact with similar bills, we close the door and the window, and the skylight over all flexible pressures.”
Nelly GRIGORYAN
