Ruse honoured the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide

Wednesday, 24 April 2024

A commemorative ceremony in Ruse marked the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Dozens of citizens gathered in the courtyard of the Armenian Church "Surp Astvadzadzin", and the Mayor of Ruse Pencho Milkov, the Secretary General of the Regional Administration Irena Todorova, representatives of political parties, municipal councilors and priests from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church also paid tribute to the victims of the genocide.

The commemoration began with a prayer and a speech by the head priest of the church, Father Dirayr Hadavyan. Children from the Armenian community and the Armenian Scout Organization presented a recital and dance performances, and the program was prepared by the People's Community Center "Angela Chakaryan - 2008" and the "Homenutmen" Physical Education Society. A commemorative address was read by Manuel Mandonian.

At the end of the ceremony, the attendees observed a minute of silence in memory of the dead, and the gathered citizens laid wreaths and flowers at the memorial.

The date of April 24 was declared International Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923). It was originally designated as the International Day of Solidarity with the Armenian People by the European Parliament in 1987 to commemorate the anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915. It was first celebrated in 1989. In the early years of the new century, it was also designated as the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Armenian Genocide. The Genocide, also called the Armenian Holocaust, was deliberately and systematically perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire during World War I and shortly thereafter. It was characterized by mass massacres and forced mass deportation of over 1,000,000 Armenians.

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