Armenian Community Council of UK issues statement on Armenian PM`s  statement on Armenian Genocide 

ArmInfo. Below is a statement by the Armenian Community Council UK on RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement on the Armenian Genocide. 

The diaspora Armenian communities world-wide and our compatriots in  Armenia were shocked to learn about Prime Minister Pashinyan's  remarks while speaking at a gathering with a group of Diaspora  Armenians in Switzerland on 24 Jan 2025. His suggestive comments  while referring to the Armenian Genocide expressed doubts about the  veracity of the Armenian Genocide, questioning what had really  happened at the time and proposing to look into the facts.

The Armenian Community Council expresses its deepest concern and  outrage at Prime Minister Pashinyan's remarks.

In the case of a spontaneous remark, perhaps unconsciously  questioning the veracity of the Armenian Genocide, a person of  ministerial capacity cannot afford to make a gaff of this magnitude.

It implies that the person hasn't carried out adequate research on  what to talk about or perhaps wasn't even prepared for the meeting!

The Armenian Genocide is a proven, undeniable fact of history,  irrespective of the denialist policies of Turkey and its deep state.  Over 30 countries including USA, France, Canada, Germany, and many  others have officially recognized the events as genocide. Further,  the International Association of Genocide Scholars recognized the  events as genocide. The Lemkin Institute and many others  establishments have recognized it too. In fact, the Lemkin Institute  issued a statement on January 30 2025, criticizing PM Pashinyan's  perhaps intentional announcement possibly to pay some dividend to Mr  Erdogan of Turkey.

Questioning the veracity of the Armenian Genocide can only be  expected from Erdogan and his followers.  Has Mr Pashinyan joined  Erdogan's persistent denial of the truth; a historical fact verified  in numerous records? Sources include those of the Ottoman Empire,  researched and proven by Turkish historians, particularly Prof Taner  Akcam of Clark University, an academic who has carried out in-depth  research on the subject using the Ottoman archives. Add to this crowd  of others international scholars of the highest caliber who have  demonstrated the undeniable veracity of this tragic episode of  Armenian history. Over the years, only pro-denialist Turkish  historians and a handful of bribed Western academics have questioned  the Armenian Genocide. Pashinyan should not join this group of  suspect individuals.

This is betrayal of a Nation, the denial of the truth with a  revisionist's narrative of "let's look at this and see what really  happened." Is Mr Pashinyan suggesting that all the research carried  out over 70 years by scholars of many nations verifying the Genocide  of the Armenian population of Anatolia needs to be reviewed?

Could the Prime Minister please explain what his motives are? Or  indeed was he under instructions by Erdogan to begin questioning the  truth to instigate an atmosphere of doubt and manipulation.

This announcement came on the eve of Jan 27th, Holocaust Memorial  Day. Let us remind you community that this revisionist and denialist  network includes that of the UK's foreign policy, and that it is the  responsibility of every Armenian to safeguard our history and  identity as the survivors of the Armenian Genocide. We cannot afford  to be misled by incompetence or by manipulators with their suspect  political agendas.

Can anyone imagine questioning the veracity of the Holocaust? Such an  action would rightfully have serious consequences for any individual  or any organization. Why is it that the prime minister feels  comfortable enough to express doubt or indeed question historical  fact in such a casual manner?

We firmly believe that Mr Pashinyan is obliged to formally and  explicitly apologise for his irresponsible and insulting remarks that  undermine the memory of the Sanctified Martyrs of the Armenian  Genocide. 

Armenian Community Council UK

London

February 2025

The Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire was the first genocide in  the 20th century. Armenians remember the victims of the tragedy every  year on April 24. Turkey traditionally denies accusations of mass  extermination of more than 1.5 million Armenians. The fact of the  Armenian Genocide has been recognized by many countries and a number  of authoritative international organizations. The first country to  recognize the Genocide in 1965 was Uruguay. Then this fact was  recognized by Cyprus, Russia, Greece, Canada, Lebanon, Belgium,  France, Paraguay, Argentina, Sweden, Bolivia, Great Britain, Holland,  Slovakia, Germany, Lithuania, Venezuela, Poland, Chile, Switzerland,  Brazil, Luxembourg, Austria, Vatican, Czech Republic, Denmark,  Portugal, as well as the provisional government of Libya, the USA,  Syria, the European Parliament, the World Council of Churches.