Under the patronage and presidency of Catholicos Aram I and organized by the three Lebanese-Armenian political parties, the memory of the victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide was commemorated at the Mayravank Monastery in Antelias, on April 23.

Following the anthems of the Republics of Lebanon, Armenia, and Artsakh, a joint speech of the Armenian political parties in Armenian was delivered by Kevork Daghlian, and in Arabic by Krikor Ekmekjian. 

The Naregatsi children’s choir then performed a set of national songs for the audience.   

Catholicos Aram I, in his message, reaffirmed his principle that Armenians must not only never forget the tragic events of 1915 and subsequent years but also demand  justice. 

“I do not believe that there is an Armenian on this planet whose blood is not mixed with the Armenian Genocide and whose consciousness is not infused with it. Otherwise, it is a denial of the Armenian identity,” he said, in a veiled reference to Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s recent statements regarding the legacy of the genocide.

“We are obliged to remind everyone, including the new Turkish generation, of the Armenian Genocide through scientific studies and the effective means offered by modern technology. We must remind our new generations of the Genocide committed against our people, especially so that they can, armed with historical, political, and legal means, demand justice for the terrible crime committed against their people,” he emphasized.

Catholicos Aram I called on Armenia’s government to adhere to the country’s Declaration of Independence and emphasized that the Armenian authorities must remain faithful to the Pan-Armenian Declaration on the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which states that the Armenian people reaffirm their “united will to achieve universal recognition of the fact of the Armenian Genocide, on the issue of eliminating the consequences of the Genocide…”  and calls on Turkey to “recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire.”

Catholicos Aram I  emphasized the importance of rejecting any diplomatic or economic relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan that would be contrary to our national sovereignty. “The recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the reparation of our violated rights by Turkey are the fundamental rights of the people of Artsakh.”