The Armenian community of Yaroslavl, together with the whole world, today remembers the victims of the 1915 genocide. On April 24, the extermination of the ethnic group began with the arrest of Armenian scientists, teachers, political and religious figures. Armenians on the territory of the Ottoman Empire were previously subject to discrimination on religious grounds. This was the official position of the state, but 109 years ago, oppression gave way to destruction. Marina Smaragdova attended the memorial event today.
Marina Smaragdova, Honored Journalist of Russia:
“Armenians call the events of the genocide a “great atrocity.” And every year on April 24 they gather together to honor the memory of the victims, lay flowers and serve a service.”
Not a memorial service, but a special rite. A hundred years later, in 2015, the Armenian Apostolic Church canonized one and a half million victims of genocide. Then the ceremony ended at 19:15, which corresponded to the year the massacres began. Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga attended the service 9 years ago.
– Our people fully knew the prophetic words of the Savior: “If the world hated you, then know that it hated me first.”
Today they said that the destruction of an entire ethnic group took place several decades before the events of 1915. This happened through physical destruction and deportation, the conditions of which implied inevitable death. It was on April 24 that the Armenian intelligentsia was taken into custody.
Alexander Abgaryan:
“In 1996, Russia recognized this day as a day of mourning and recognized the fact of genocide. There are countries that have not recognized, these are Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Pakistan. Most countries recognized this day as a day of mourning and the day of the Armenian genocide.”
About 15 thousand Armenians live in Yaroslavl, and today many families remember the bitter events of a hundred years ago, but crimes against humanity have no statute of limitations. Now the place of memory is the Church of St. George, St. George.
Vitaly Arustamyan:
“There is still no solution to this issue. It continues and will continue, the world is in such a state. If one people can kill and rob, then others can too.”
Sergey Kalinin, Chairman of the Yaroslavl Municipality:
“Proper assessment was not given, it gave rise to the Holocaust. During the Second World War, it gave rise to the development of nationalism to such a level that today we remember the figures and say why they happened, a full assessment was again not given.”
Today they said that history is repeating itself, the public reaction to many world events does not correspond to the scale of what is happening. The Yaroslavl region is called the land of harmony, 150 nationalities live on its territory, so peaceful coexistence is very important, as well as cultural and human cooperation.
Andrey Kovraisky, head of the public relations department of the Yaroslavl City Hall:
“Literally in the same area there is a library named after Maria Petrov, a native of Norsky Posad, who is the best translator of Armenian classics. She was not published in the 20th century, and only her Armenian friends in Armenia published her only book.”
Armenian culture was also subjected to genocide; manuscripts, monuments, and churches were destroyed. Those gathered today remembered this, listening to the Armenian duduk and aching melodies, in which pain and memory.
