On April 19, the screening of the film “Aurora’s Sunrise” dedicated to the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide took place at the “Eye” Film Museum in Amsterdam, organized by the Armenian Embassy in The Hague, the Federation of Armenian Organizations of the Netherlands and the “Periscoop Films”.
High-ranking officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Ambassadors, Heads of International and European institutions based in The Hague, current and former members of the Parliament of the Netherlands, public and political figures and members of the Armenian community were present at the screening.
At the outset, Mr. Tigran Balayan, Ambassador of Armenia and Mr. Don Seder, Member of Parliament, spokesperson for foreign affairs of the coalition party “Christian Union” delivered remarks.
In his speech, Ambassador Balayan drew parallels between the genocide of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and the crimes committed by Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Artsakh, emphasizing that the same promises that were given to the Armenians by the consecutive Ottoman governments for years, are being given today by the government of Azerbaijan to the Armenians of Artsakh. There are no differences between the absolute power of the Ottoman sultans and the current leader of Azerbaijan.
Emphasizing the importance of recognition and condemnation of such crimes as a means of prevention, the Ambassador, on behalf of Armenia and the Armenian people, expressed his gratitude to the Dutch Parliament for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The Ambassador expressed hope that in the future the Dutch government will also recognize the Armenian Genocide, in compliance with the numerous resolutions of the Parliament and the public opinion of the country.
