Ukrainian minister says Kyiv should recognize Armenian genocide

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said that Kyiv must recognize the Armenian genocide, which he deemed "a terrible lesson for all humanity."

Sunday April 25 2021 01:03 pm

A box with badges is seen during a gathering in remembrance of the 1915 genocide, which was acknowledged by U.S. President Joe Biden, at the Armenian Martyrs Memorial Monument in Montebello, California, U.S. April 24, 2021.

Duvar English

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said that Kyiv must recognize the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as genocide at the state level.

In a post he shared on Facebook on April 24, Avakov said that the massacre of the Armenians "was carefully planned and lasted for two decades."

"The Armenian genocide is not a tragedy of one nation. This is a terrible and, unfortunately, unlearned lesson for all humanity," Avakov said, as he noted that it's important to recognize the genocide at the state level to prevent similar atrocities from taking place.

"No country and people are safe in the face of the repetition of such tragedy," he said, calling on countries to assume political commitments.

The minister praised the role of the Armenians in Ukrainian history, noting that one of those first shot dead during the Maidan protests in 2014 was Armenian Serhiy Nigoyan.

Avakov also said that Armenians are fighting alongside the Ukrainian army in the eastern Donbass region.

The Ukrainian minister's remarks came on April 24 Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, during which U.S. President Joe Biden recognized the mass killings as genocide, drawing ire from Turkey.

Topics Armenian genocide Arsen Avakov Kyiv Ukraine-Turkey Ottoman Empire