In the 21st Century We Witnessed Another Ethnic Cleansing Policy and Its Consequences: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has released a statement in connection with the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

“On April 24, we remember and bow our heads before the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. Since 1915, as a result of the crimes against humanity committed by the Young Turk government, approximately 1.5 million Armenians, including children, women, and the elderly, were killed solely on the basis of their national identity as Armenians. Millions of Armenians were deprived of their property and historical, cultural, and spiritual values.

This atrocity committed against the Armenian people later served as the basis for defining the 'Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.' Sadly, despite ongoing efforts, the persistent threat of genocide still exists in the world. In the 21st century, from 2020 to 2023, we have witnessed yet another policy of ethnic cleansing and its consequences: more than 150,000 Armenians were forcibly displaced and compelled to leave their historical homeland due to systematic acts of terror based on war, intolerance, and identity-related crimes, along with siege and attacks against the civilian population.

Taking into account the risks of genocide and documented cases in the modern world, as well as numerous other examples of severe violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, Armenia continues its active engagement on international platforms to coordinate efforts in the fight against the crime of genocide, to prevent new genocides and crimes against humanity, and to protect the rights of victims,” the statement reads.