(hayernaysor.am) The city of Alzira of the Valencia region joined 11 cities of Spain and officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, reports Valencia’s Ararat Armenian Association to Hayern Aysor.
During a November 25 session of Alzira City Council, all five political parties (“Compromis”, the Socialist, People’s, “Lefts Union” and “Ciudadanos”) unanimously voted in favor of the resolution submitted by Ararat Armenian Association, viewing the first slaughter of the 20th century as genocide and condemning Turkey’s policy of denial.
During a meeting prior to the session, Mayor Diego Gomez had promised the members of the Armenian association to address the resolution to other governments and especially the Parliaments of Valencia and Spain. This meeting, which was attended by President of Ararat Armenian Association Ararat Ghukasyan and members Sergey Ghaghramanyan and Arsen Abasyan, was made possible by the latter.
Among those attending the city council session were representatives of the local Armenian community. Before the resolution was put up for a vote, President Ararat Ghukasyan briefly talked about the causes and effects of the Armenian Genocide, the historic significance of the day, as well as the need and importance for all state structures to recognize the crime that Turkey committed. Afterwards, Ghukasyan donated the Forget-Me-Not badge symbolizing the 100th year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to Diego Gomez, urging him to never forget and to continue the struggle until its logical termination.
After the vote, first-year student of Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and violinist Edmond Hovhannisyan performed Komitas’s “Krunk” for the city council members and the attendees and received warm rounds of applause.
And so, Alzira became the 12th city of the Kingdom of Spain to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Who’s next?