YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta Fra Matthew Festing attaches great importance to his visit to Armenia and particularly Armenian Genocide memorial complex Tsitsernakaberd.

“I had a meeting with the President, which was of key importance, but my visit here was of no less importance, since I know the importance of this place for all of you. I attended the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Genocide, and I was very pleased to be here as they showed how these horrible events are an important part of your history, and most importantly, they must never be forgotten. In fact, many are unaware about it and particularly the younger generation, and for that reason I believe it’s extremely important that someone, like me, comes here to remember those horrible events. It’s of key importance that we all remember the victims and pray for them since we are all Christians”, “Armenpress” reports he told the reporters.

Fra Matthew Festing’s father was a young serviceman in the British army who had been sent to the Ottoman Empire during the years of the genocide.

“I know the international community was horrified by those events and I also know that there are numerous other places in the world where similar horrible acts have taken place. I think we should try to go forward, remembering what has happened in the past. We must look towards the future remembering the past and learn to co-exist, which is sometimes not so easy”, and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta said.