The residents of Dilijan carried out a candle-lighting ceremony to honor the victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
The acting mayor of Dilijan, Davit Sargsyan, Father Shavarsh Simonyan, and soldiers serving in Dilijan lit candles and laid flowers at the eternal fire in memory of the victims along with the town’s residents.
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In an interview with Aravot Daily, Father Shavarsh Simonyan said that every year in commemorating the memory of the victims of the genocide, the goal is to remind the world that there will be new genocides until the state that committed the genocide is punished.
“Our goal is not to make our youth feel hostile towards Turkey, but to remind them that this can happen again at any moment because the world is as indifferent as it was 100 years ago.
Our goal is to restore justice because the genocidal state must get what it deserves, regardless of whether that is Turkey or another nation, and next time, it will not dare to question the existence of any nation. Our generation should be reminded of what happened in the past so that by looking at the past and learning from it, they can build the future.
Soviet Armenia did not have demands for 70 years, and that generation was not able to speak out about the genocide freely and independently. But the new generation that was raised in a free and independent Armenia is aware of its rights, and that generation must restore its justice so that it can maintain its homeland.”
The acting mayor of Dilijan’s spokesperson, Nelly Amiryan, told Aravot Daily that 21 soldiers and volunteers from Dilijan died during the 44-Day War in Artsakh, and the tribute was also in honor of those who died in Artsakh.
“Despite the fact that the soldiers do not have the ability to leave their military base, 45 soldiers were able to participate in the tribute today at the request of the municipality.”
Satenik Hovsepyan
