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On April 23 on the initiative of the RPA and ARF factions the representatives of the Assyrian and Greek communities of Armenia in RA National Assembly met the special representative Miroslav Pollak on National Minorities of the Government of the Republic of Slovakia and the reporter of the European Tizhden daily Andzej Bam, who arrived in Yerevan on the occasion of the 96^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The Head of the ARF faction Vahan Hovhannisyan briefly presented the background of the genocide, which was planned and perpetrated by the Turkish Government towards the Armenian people, Assyrian, Greek communities and other national minorities in the Ottoman Empire during the first war.

It was noted that during 1915-1922, 2,5mln Christians, 1.5mln Armenians, 600.000 Greek and about 400.000 Assyrians, Yezids and other national minorities were deported and killed as a consequence of the crime organized by the Turkish Government.

“More than two dozens of countries of the world, including Slovakia, recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide, and we thank them,” Vahan Hovhannisyan said.

It was noted that the common pain and fighting combine the Armenians, the Greek, the Assyrians and the other massacred peoples.

Noting that Turkey perpetrated the Armenian Genocide and Assyrians and Greeks, the Secretary of the RPA faction Eduard Sharmazanov considered necessary to note that this undeniable reality would be mentioned in the documents condemning the Genocide.

Mr Sharmazanov also noted that we should do our best in order Turkey would recognize the crime perpetrated towards the Christian nations.

The Head of the Greek community of Armenia Arkady Khitarov and the Assyrian community Irina Gasparyan addressed word of gratitude to the Swedish Parliament, which last year in March also enshrined the crime organized and committed by Turkey towards the Greeks and Assyrians at the beginning of the 20^th century in the document condemning the Armenian Genocide.

Irina Gasparyan informed the guests that only Assyrian schools function in Armenia.

It was noted that the Assyrian and Greek communities officially applied to the legislative power of Armenia on recognizing and condemning the Genocide perpetrated towards the Assyrians and the Greeks by Turkey.

The representatives of the Assyrian and Greek communities answered to many questions concerning the guests.

Expressing their gratitude the special representative Miroslav Pollak on National Minorities of the Government of the Republic of Slovakia and the reporter of the European Tizhden daily Andrzej Bam for the meeting, they noted that they were not aware of the massacres perpetrated towards Assyrian and Greek communities by the Government of Turkey.

It was noted that the international community should recognize and condemn the genocide perpetrated towards the Christian people in the Ottoman Empire and do its best in order such crimes never be repeated.

Mr Pollak said that he learnt about the Armenian Genocide from the works by the world-acclaimed writers William Saroyan and Franz Werfel.

“When I tried to find the villages and the cities, described in the novel Forty Days of Musa Dagh, I could not find, as the Turkish government deleted the Armenian settlements from the maps, too,” Miroslav Pollak said.

At the end of the meeting Miroslav Pollak and Andrzej expressed wish to be hosted in the settlements of the Greek and Assyrian communities of Armenia and get acquainted with their everyday life and customs on the spot.