Armenian MFA pays tribute to Genocide victims, highlights peace agenda

In a statement issued on April 24, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs commemorated and paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire.

“One and a half million men, women, children, and elderly people fell victim to the Mets Yeghern, were killed or consigned to death solely for being Armenian,” the statement said.

The MFA noted that this atrocity committed against the Armenian people became one of the historical precedents that served as a basis for the adoption of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

“Despite the efforts of the international community, in the 21st century, we continue to witness racial and ethnic intolerance, hatred, and new mass atrocities carried out on that basis. Armenia feels a responsibility to remain continuously and consistently engaged in identifying the signs and early warning of such crimes, and to support initiatives aimed at their prevention and eradication,” the statement reads.

The Ministry also recalled that through Armenia’s efforts, December 9, 2015, was included on the United Nations list of international days as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

It added that in 2025, at the plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly, the resolution entitled “The Decade of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime,” submitted by Armenia, was adopted by consensus.

“In March 2026, at the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the resolution ‘Prevention of Genocide,’ also submitted by Armenia, was once again adopted by consensus,” the statement said.

Remembering the past and paying tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide, the Republic of Armenia is building its sovereign future guided by the peace agenda, the MFA emphasized.

“The existence of good-neighborly relations and genuine cooperation among neighboring states is a minimum prerequisite for establishing lasting peace in the South Caucasus and ensuring the peaceful coexistence of all peoples in our region,” the statement concluded.