A day of remembrance and mourning: a statement by Konstantin Zatulin

Konstantin Zatulin, a member of the Russian State Duma and coordinator of the Council of the “Lazarev Club,” issued a statement on the occasion of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

“Today, April 24, Armenia, Russia, and the entire civilized world pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide in the early 20th century in the Ottoman Empire. The uncivilized world does not want to know about this. Only with such an attitude can one celebrate, for example, events like the total exodus of the entire Armenian population from Nagorno-Karabakh, seized by Azerbaijan in 2023.

What is noteworthy is that the list of countries that have not recognized the Armenian Genocide includes not only Turkey or Azerbaijan, but also Israel. It turns out that Jews, who survived the Holocaust, do not wish to share their feelings or show compassion for other people and nations. And we see what crimes this has led the Jewish state to commit today, before our very eyes.

In Russia, in 1995, we made our decision to declare April 24 a Day of Remembrance and Mourning. It is important to remember that, over a hundred years ago, Armenians were exterminated by the Young Turks on suspicion of sympathizing with Russia. Sympathy toward Russia, to the shame of today’s generations, continues to serve in certain countries as grounds for repression and persecution.

We have lived to see the day when, in today’s Armenia, the authorities have set out on a path of rupture with Russia and are persecuting those who resist it. It is no coincidence that those who, at the Memorial Museum in Yerevan, refused to let the candle of remembrance be extinguished are losing their jobs. It is a matter of our honor to prevent this,” the statement reads.