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YEREVAN, April 23 (AFP) - 9h19 - The Conference of
European Churches (CEC) on Saturday called on Turkey
to recognise that it committed genocide against
Armenians and urged reconciliation between Ankara
and Yerevan.
"The Presidium subscribes to the words which the
Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, and
Catholicos Aram I have repeatedly expressed: the
horrific crimes in connection with the Armenian
genocide should never be forgotten.
"Guilt must be admitted and the truth must be told,"
the CEC said in a statement.
Armenia marks on Sunday the 90th anniversary of mass
killings in the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of
modern Turkey, which Armenia and many other
countries qualify as genocide but which Turkey
denies ever took place.
"The Presidium urges the Turkish government to
initiate a process of reconciliation between the
Turkish and the Armenian peoples in which the
recognition of guilt and the proclamation of the
truth need to be integral elements," it said.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen
perished in orchestrated killings between 1915 and
1917 as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart.
Ankara counters that 300,000 Armenians and thousands
of Turks were killed in "civil strife" during World
War I when the Armenians rose against their Ottoman
rulers and sided with invading Russian troops.
The Conference of European Churches, founded in
1959, is a fellowship of 126 Orthodox, Protestant
and Old Catholic Churches, along with 43 associated
organisations from across Europe.
The European Union is to open accession negotiations
with Turkey on October
AFP
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