Austria Adopts Genocide Declaration, Urges Turkey to Confront Past

BRUSSELS, Belgium—The Austrian Parliament adopted a declaration recognizing the Armenian Genocide and acknowledging the responsibility of the Austro-Hungarian Empire—an ally of the Ottoman Empire during World War I—and called on Turkey to reconcile with the dark pages of its past. The declaration was adopted unanimously by all political factions in parliament. Before its formal adoption, the deputies held a moment of silence in memory of the 1.5 million innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The declaration states that it is Austria’s obligation to recognize the terrible events as genocide and to condemn them. It also states that it is Turkey’s duty “to honestly face its dark and painful chapter of the past, and the crimes committed during the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians to recognize as genocide.”

The statement on the Centenary of the Armenian Genocide also pays homage to Assyrians, Arameans, Chaldeans, and Greeks—victims of the total annihilation campaign of minorities perpetrated by Turkey.

Garo Chadoian, the chairman of the Austrian Armenian Committee for Justice and Democracy (Hay Tad Austria), thanked the Armenian community of Austria and the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia for their persistent and coordinated efforts over the past years that resulted in this joint declaration, and praised the Austrian political parties for their courageous and responsible stance on recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

'Thank you Austria' — ‘Thank you Austria’

Kaspar Karampetian, the president of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD), said, “We congratulate the Austrian-Armenian community for their tireless work, and welcome this historic recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Austria. It is historic in the sense that Austria, acknowledging its responsibility for the past regarding the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s alliance with Ottoman Turkey, could serve as a noble example for Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide and come to terms with its past.”

“The Armenian Diaspora’s activism, the Pope’s message, and the European Parliament’s resolutions on the Armenian Genocide have all contributed to this declaration by the Austrian Parliament. We very much hope that Germany will also shift its stance on the Armenian question and officially recognize the Armenian Genocide,” added Karampetian.