On March 20, the participants of the International Media Forum “At the Foot of Mount Ararat” adopted a Declaration condemning the Armenian Genocide on the last day of the forum in Yerevan.

The Declaration particularly reads as follows: “We journalists and participants of the International Media Forum “At the Foot of Mount Ararat”, representatives of various countries, nationalities and religions pay our tribute to the Armenian people and respect the memory of the 1.5 million innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire.

We call on condemning the events that were aimed at eliminating the Armenian nation and its unique, centuries-old culture and depriving the Armenians of their homeland. They were events that were accompanied with mass killings and ethnic cleansing.

The Declaration commends the European Parliament, the World Council of Churches, the governments of Uruguay, Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile and the Vatican for having recognized and condemned the first genocide of the 20^th century.

On the threshold of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, we can’t stay indifferent to the attempts being made to make people forget the Armenian Genocide that was perpetrated by the Turks in the territory of the Ottoman Empire.

We condemn the denial of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 as falsification of historical facts that distort the reasons, mechanisms and consequences of this tragedy. By looking at the historical facts, we pay our tribute to the journalists who informed the world about the atrocities that were taking place in the territory of the Ottoman Empire. We realize the role and significance of journalists and believe their main objective is to support dialogue between all nations.

Addressing our colleagues in all parts of the world, on the threshold of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, we call on them to put in all their efforts to keep the memory of the victims alive, hinder attempts to keep silent about crimes having been committed in the past and fight against diminution of the significance of the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust and other crimes committed against humanity on the ground of xenophobia, as well as focus efforts on restoring historical justice and achieve recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the part of the United Nations General Assembly,” as stated in the Declaration.