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On next December 9, the International Day of Commemoration will gain even more significance, since it will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, noted the aforesaid in his address at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece.

“In 2015, upon the initiative of Armenia, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a unanimous Resolution on the Genocide Prevention,” he said, in particular. “In its development again upon our initiative the UN General Assembly assigned December 9th as an International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Genocide. Since 2015, 9 December has become a solid platform for manifestation of our collective resolve against the recurrences of this heinous crime. It also bears an important mission of raising awareness and promoting education about the crimes against humanity.

“Three days ago in my statement on the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration I stressed that ‘we join our voice with all those who strive to ensure that ‘never again’ is a solemn promise that is universally respected and kept.’

“It is a moral obligation of the people that endured through the horrors of Genocide, to stand at the forefront of the international efforts for prevention of the genocides and crimes against humanity. Our efforts are gaining an international recognition, as recently the United Nations Under Secretary General Mr. Michael Møller stated, ‘Armenia has become a leading voice for safeguarding the importance of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.’

“On the next December 9th, the International Day of Commemoration will gain even more significance, since it will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. On this occasion Armenia is going to host the Third International Global Forum Against the Crime of Genocide, in Yerevan.

“Seventy years passed after the adoption of the Convention, but the world is not immune from this ‘odious scourge.’ It is imperative to redouble the international efforts aimed at reinvigoration of the prevention agenda. What is happening in front of our eyes, in the Middle East particularly, related to the identity-based crimes against ethnic and religious groups vividly manifests the relevance of the Convention, which clearly establishes the punishable actions, including the complicity.

“Armenia has been among the first to raise this issue with the aim of strengthening the international mechanisms in this regard. The further development of effective measures to counter hate crime and discrimination against Christians and members of other religions was the main focus of the recent high-level conference in Yerevan, co-organized by the OSCE Chairmanship and ODIHR with the support of the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

“The violence in the Middle East has not bypassed Armenians, who for centuries has constituted a part of the multicultural and multi-religious mosaic of Syria and the wider Mediterranean region. The Armenian settlements, churches, schools and cultural institutions were destroyed. Many of our fellow Armenians lost their lives in terrorist attacks, others were forced to flee. Armenia has received more than twenty two thousand refugees only from Syria, making our country the third largest recipient of Syrian refugees in Europe on per capita basis. We have also tried to reach out to the people who need assistance in Syria by continuous provision of humanitarian aid.

“As the threat to security and stability continues to spread in different parts of the world it is crucial to make international joint efforts in countering them more efficient and effective. It is with this understanding that Armenia has participated in a number of UN and UN-mandated Peace Operations, thus actively contributing in the most direct way to the building of international peace and security. The United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations stated in this regard that ‘Armenia’s support is important not only for its contribution but also for the Armenian history and the challenges overcome during it.’ Indeed, history teaches us that security is a common endeavor. The geography of our engagement in the past and present missions in Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon (UNIFIL), Mali (MINUSMA) vividly demonstrates our attitude towards peace operations.

“We remember with deep appreciation that Armenia made its first steps in the field of the international peace operations with generous support of the Hellenic Republic.”

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