Uruguay
Uruguay Armenians Stage Protest against Turkey's Accession to EU
YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Members of Uruguay's Armenian community demonstrated outside the European Union (EU) mission in Montevideo, to protest the start of membership talks with Turkey, and to demand the latter recognize its genocide of Armenians before being granted membership into the Union.
Ethnic Armenian member of the Uruguay Parliament Lilian Keshishian, accompanied by another member of parliament Iván Posadas joined the October 3 protest, organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's `Armenia' Youth Union.
Protesters held posters reading `Historic truth cannot be hidden,' `Turkey, admit to your crime--the Armenian Genocide,' and `No to Turkey's accession to EU unless Armenian Genocide recognition.'
A delegation handed an EU representative a petition signed by 30,000 people, demanding the EU deny Turkey membership, unless the country recognizes the Armenian genocide.
PARLIAMENT OF URUGUAY CALLS UPON TURKEY TO LIFT BLOCKADE AND ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan Armenians Today Oct 26 2005
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The House of Representatives of Uruguay's parliament issued on October 26 a statement regarding the Armenian-Turkish relations.
"Taking into consideration this parliament's contribution to the process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide and especially its wish to assist the reconciliation of the Armenian and Turkish peoples, the House of Representatives of Yruguay's legislative body joins the call of the US and the European Union and requests that Turkey lift the blockade imposed on Armenia and establish diplomatic relations between the two countries," the statement, which was unanimously adopted by 70 deputies at a plenary sitting of parliament, in particular reads.
According to Radio Armneia (Yruguay), Lilian Keshishian, the first female deputy of Armenian descent in the country's parliament, who took quite an active part in the process, was satisfied with the above mentioned statement.
Lilian Keshishian will arrive in Yerevan next week to participate in a festive event in celebration of the 15th anniversary of Armenia's National Assembly.
To recap, recently Turkey proposed, through its ambassador, that Yruguay's parliament sponsor and take an immediate part in the activities of a commission composed of international experts to decide whether there was a genocide of the Armenians in 1915 or not. At first Yruguayan legislators accepted the Turkish diplomat's proposal without going into the heart of the matter.
However, upon being informed about it, the Armenian ambassador Ara Aivazian asked to hold a meeting at parliament to present Armenia's point of view. In fact, there was a danger that the country that was the first to recognize the Armenian Genocide might despute the very fact of this genocide. Yet it did not happen, and Yruguayan parliament adopted a statement in favor of Armenia.
See also
External links
- http://www.armenia.com.uy - Web site for Armenians of Uruguay