Tribute to the memory of the vicitims of Sumgait massacres and Gurgen Margaryan

23 February, 2014

On February 23, 2014 the Holy Mass was served in St. Nishan Armenain-Orthodox Church of Beirut in commemoration of victims of Sumgait massacres and the Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan. After the requiem service the Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Lebanon bishop Shahe Panosyan addressed the people.
After the requiem service which took place in the yard of the church, the first speaker of the event Shahan Kandaharyan who spoke on behalf of the Centenary Central Body of the Armenian Genocide mentioned that the massacres in Sumgait was the miniature of the Armenian Genocide and that the impunity and the absence of international condemnation in nowadays circumstances can result in new massacres and ethnic cleansing.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Lebanon Ashot Kocharian in his speech presented the details of free liberation movement of Artsakh. He mentioned that 26 years ago the massacres against the Armenian population perpetrated by the Azerbaijani authorities in the industrial city Sumgait were the first manifestation of the policy of the ethnic cleansing in the territory of the former Soviet Union. He emphasized that Azerbaijan after the declaration of its independence released all the sentenced murderers and proclaimed them national heroes. The same was done when as a result of shameful Hungarian-Azerbaijani deal a murderer Ramil Safarov was released. While completing his speech Ambassador Kocharian said ,,After 10 years we pay tribute to the memory of Gurgen Margarian, after 26 years we pay tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of Sumgait, the heroes who died during the liberation movement of Artsakh and all the young heroes who died in the border zones in present peaceful conditions,,. He expressed confidence that the whole international community will give appropriate evaluation and will condemn the crimes and massacres perpetrated against Armenian people.

At the end of the ceremony organized upon the initiative of the Embassy of Armenia in Lebanon and the Centenary Central Body of the Armenian Genocide the wreaths were laid on the cross stone (khachqar) dedicated to the memory of the victims of Sumgait on behalf of the Embassy of Armenia, Permanent Mission of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the Middle East and the Centenary Central Body of the Armenian Genocide of Lebanon.

The clerical leaders, officials, the leaders and representatives of political parties, media and Armenian national structures, the whole staff of the Armenian Embassy as well as the representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the Middle East participated in the event.

On the same day the Holy divine liturgies and masses dedicated to the memory of Gurgen Margarian and the innocent victims of Sumgait massacres were served in all Armenian churches of Lebanon.

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