“I am convinced that the sons and daughters of Armenia will continue to preserve their national identity and spiritual values”: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message on the occasion of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

“Today we bow our heads before the memory of the hundreds of thousands of victims of the genocide of the Armenian people — one of the most terrible tragedies of the 20th century. The brutal massacre of defenseless, entirely innocent people who were killed, wounded, and driven from their native towns and villages shook the entire civilized world, and its catastrophic consequences compellingly demonstrated where the incitement of religious hatred, nationalism, and xenophobia can lead.

I would note that our country’s position on this matter has always remained unchanged. As early as May 1915, it was reflected in the joint Declaration of Russia, Great Britain, and France, condemning the violence against the Armenian people as a crime against humanity and civilization, and later, at a new stage in history, in the Statement of the State Duma of April 14, 1995.

We are convinced that the policy of mass extermination and deportation of people on ethnic grounds has no justification and can have none, and that the international community must unite its efforts to ensure that such barbarity is never repeated anywhere.

The persecution and repression of those years became an unhealing wound for many generations of Armenians, but the ordeal they endured brought people together, and they showed steadfast devotion to their traditions, wisdom, and courage. I am convinced that the sons and daughters of Armenia will continue to preserve their national identity, their millennia-old culture, language, freedom, and spiritual values.

I wish the friendly Armenian people well-being, prosperity, and all the very best,” Putin’s message reads.