The corresponding declaration was adopted by the deputies of the Parliament. Its adoption followed a discussion among historians.
The Latvian Parliament on Thursday, May 6, after a discussion of historians, adopted a declaration on the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. This is reported by the press service of the Seimas.
It is noted that the Latvian Parliament adopted a declaration on the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, paid tribute to the memory of all the victims of the genocide, and paid tribute to the survivors.
The Parliament explained that Latvia condemns all crimes against humanity and considers itself obliged to recognize such crimes in order to prevent their recurrence.
The declaration was prepared by the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs with the involvement of diplomats and historians. MEPs also believe that an open and free discussion on historical issues is inextricably linked to the development of healthy and mature democracies.
The recognition of the Armenian Genocide cannot have legal consequences, the Latvian Seimas said.
“To admit it or not is a matter of political choice. And this is not an easy task. Genocide is the worst crime against humanity without a statute of limitations. We know what crimes against humanity are, and it is important not to forget that other countries have the same experience, “ the chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Foreign Affairs, Richard Kohl, is quoted as saying on the website of the Latvian Seimas.
58 deputies voted for the adoption of the resolution on the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, 11 were against, 7 abstained, Armenian Ambassador to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia Tigran Mkrtchyan said on his Facebook page. According to him, the initiators of the condemnation of the Armenian Genocide were three Latvian parliamentary forces (New Conservatives, Yes — Development and Consent).
On April 24, the United States recognized the Armenian Genocide. Joe Biden urged not to forget the horrors of “what happened”. After that, the US ambassador was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Ministry noted that Biden’s statement caused damage to relations between Turkey and the United States, which will be difficult to fix. Later it became known how Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted to the US recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
