On April 24, events dedicated to the 101^st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide were held in Copenhagen, as reported the Department of Information and Public Relations of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding the following: “The events were launched at the Trinitatis Church of Copenhagen, which is uniquely symbolic in that it is here where in 1905 famous Danish humanist Maria Jacobsen made a decision to lend a helping hand to the Armenians before leaving for the Ottoman Empire.

The grand ceremony began with the joint ceremony of intercession for the canonized martyrs of the Armenian Genocide performed by spiritual father of the Armenians of Denmark, Father Stepanos Hovhannisyan and Priest Lotte Nielsen Forchhamer of Trinitatis Church. Afterwards, Minister of Culture and Church Affairs of Denmark Berthel Horder addressed the gathered with a speech. In her speech, Horder stated that she had learned about the missionary activities of missionaries Maria Jacobsen and Karen Eppe in school and stressed that the Danish consider them heroes and remember them with a feeling of pride.

Horder also emphasized that Maria Jacobsen’s 600-page diary is a major testimony for historians to examine what happened to 1.5 million Armenians in 1915. Armenia’s Ambassador to Denmark Hrachya Aghajanyan also gave a speech.

In his speech, Aghajanyan presented the symbol of the day and stated that these days of remembrance serve as a great occasion to pay tribute to all those who risked their lives to save the Armenians from the crimes against humanity. He talked about the organizing o several events commemorating the Armenian Genocide held in Denmark and Norway and expressed his gratitude to the Danish and Norwegians for their strong support.

The Ambassador also talked about the four-day military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan and the unbreakable will and right of the people of Artsakh and Armenia to protect themselves. The first volume of the original of Maria Jacobsen’s handwritten diary had been brought to be showcased through a special procedure performed during the event held at Trinitatis Church.

The program included readings of translated excerpts from the diary describing the horrible events that took place during the genocide. It was specifically stated that the annihilation of the Armenian nation was a plan that was meticulously organized and brutally perpetrated by Turkey and that the purpose of the descriptions in the diary are to let the people of Denmark know about the unimaginable sufferings that their “Armenian brothers and sisters” were undergoing.

The event included performances of Armenian psalms, as well as the songs of Komitas and other famous songs by dudukists Jivan Gasparyan Junior, Armen Ghazaryan and Vazgen Makaryan, as well as Denmark-based Soprano Zara Avagyan. Among the attendees were circles of Danish public and political circles, representatives of the diplomatic corps and the Armenian community and several Danish citizens.

The event was followed by an open-air cultural program held at the square near Trinitatis Church, followed by performances by the trio of dudukists and representatives of the local Armenian community.