Armenian president invites Turkish counterpart to Yerevan for 100th genocide anniversary
YEREVAN. May 27 (Interfax) - Armenian President Serzh Sargsian has invited his Turkish counterpart to visit Yerevan on April 24, 2015, when the 100th anniversary of Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey will be marked.
"I want to take this opportunity to officially invite the Turkish president, whoever is elected at the coming elections there, to visit Armenia on April 24, 2015 and to stand face to face with telling proof of the Armenian genocide," Sargsian said at a meeting of the state committee coordinating the events in the framework of the 100th anniversary of Armenian genocide, which is headed by him.
Invitations have been sent to leaders of some other countries as well, the Armenian president said.
"Crimes against humanity have no statute of limitations. The only formula to prevent genocide is acknowledging and condemning the horrific pages of history. We urge once again all the countries and international community to recognize and condemn this unprecedented crime," Sargsian said.
Turkey should recognize the Armenian genocide in order not to become an accomplice of the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian president said. "Acknowledgement and condemnation do not have an alternative. It is impossible to achieve serious results with half-steps," he said.
Armenia does not have a feeling of enmity towards the Turkish people, the president said.
"Moreover, we are trying to create conditions amid which Armenian and Turkish people would be able to communicate with each other and find a path of reconciliation. Namely with this purpose we tried to be and still are committed to settling the relations with Turkey without preliminary conditions and opening the Armenian-Turkish border, though we hear just statements on such wishes from Turkey. If the wish is indeed sincere, Turkey knows the path towards reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey," Sargsian said.
