YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian has issued a statement regarding the reaffirming of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the House of Representatives of the Netherlands. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, Nalbandian particularly said,

“We highly appreciate the debates held today in the Parliament of friendly Netherlands and the decisions adopted as the result, which unequivocally reaffirm the recognition of the Armenian Genocide back in 2004.

With this step, the Parliament of the Netherlands once again reconfirmed its commitment to universal human values and the noble cause of prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity”.

The parliament of the Netherlands adopted on February 22 two resolutions on the Armenian Genocide authored by MP Joel Voordewind from Christian Union party with the absolute majority of the votes.

“Almost all the factions voted in favor of the resolutions. Only one small faction voted against, the tree members of which are Turks”, President of the Federation of Armenian Organizations of the Netherlands  Mato Hakhverdyan told ARMENPRESS, adding that 142 MPs voted in favor.

The first resolution reaffirms the decision of the Netherlands in 2004 to recognize the Armenian Genocide, while by the second resolution the foreign minister of the Netherlands will be obliged to visit Armenia and pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide at Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex each 5th year.

English – translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan