Written declaration No. 542 | Doc. 13192 | 24 April 2013

Recognition of the Armenian Genocide

Signatories: Ms Zaruhi POSTANJYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Miloš ALIGRUDIĆ, Serbia, EDG ; Ms Theodora BAKOYANNIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Michael CONNARTY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Renato FARINA, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Hans FRANKEN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Andrzej HALICKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Davit HARUTYUNYAN, Armenia, EDG ; Ms Arpine HOVHANNISYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Mr Ferenc KALMÁR, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Ms Naira KARAPETYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Alejandro MUÑOZ-ALONSO, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Pieter OMTZIGT, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Ivan RAČAN, Croatia, SOC ; Mr René ROUQUET, France, SOC ; Mr Oleksandr SHEVCHENKO, Ukraine, NR ; Mr Serhiy SOBOLEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Vilmos SZABÓ, Hungary, SOC ; Mr Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, Denmark, UEL ; Ms Anne-Mari VIROLAINEN, Finland, EPP/CD

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

Recognition of genocides is an act which contributes to the respect for human dignity and the prevention of crimes against humanity;

The fact of the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire has been documented, recognised, and affirmed in the form of media and eyewitness reports, laws, resolutions, and statements by the United Nations, the European Parliament and Parliaments of the Council of Europe member States, including Sweden, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, France, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Cyprus, the Russian Federation, as well as the US House of Representatives and 43 US States, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Canada, Uruguay and Lebanon.

The undersigned, members of the Parliamentary Assembly, call upon all members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to take the necessary steps for the recognition of the genocide perpetrated against Armenians and other Christians in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century, which will strongly contribute to an eventual similar act of recognition by the Turkish authorities of this odious crime against humanity and, as a result, will lead to the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey and thus contribute to regional peace, security and stability.