April 27, 2005 Assen/The Hague, 24 April 2005 - By buses, train and cars from several parts of the country more than thousand Armenians and other interested persons attended today the commemoration ceremony of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the Armenian Genocide memorial in Assen. A survivor of the Armenian Genocide, meanwhile the 92 years old lady was also present this year in Assen.

The commemoration meeting was organised by the 24 April Committee of the Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON). The ceremony started with laying of wreaths and prayer of the Armenian priest at the memorial in the cemetery De Boskamp in Assen. This memorial was erected at the request of an Armenian inhabitant of Assen four years ago following intensive protest of rightist Turks and procedures up to the Council of State.

This year's commemoration is significant for the Armenians living in Holland by the fact that the Dutch parliament has recognised the Armenian Genocide last year by adopting the Rouvoet motion.

After the ceremony at the memorial a commemoration meeting took place in the auditorium with Armenian declamation and music (among others doudouk) and with several speakers like Dutch MP Farah Karimi, professor René Diekstra, the Armenologist professor Jos Weitenberg, representative of the Armenian embassy Tigran Balayan and father Armen Melkonian. On behalf of the organisation Mato Hakhverdian spoke as Chairman of the FAON, Noubar Sipan as Chairman of the 24 April Committee, and Inge Drost as member of the 24 April Committee. The commemoration in Assen was covered by Dutch national and regional Radio and TV and almost all Dutch newspapers.

The speakers expressed each in his own way heavy criticism on the Turkish denial of the Genocide. Farah Karimi indicated that at recent discussion of the Armenian question in the Turkish parliament an ovation had taken place at the declaration that there was no Genocide. Instead, according to Karimi, it would have been appropriate to observe a minute of silence for the victims of the Genocide. Professor Diekstra, prevented by circumstances to be present personally, criticised in his text Erdogan's call for an 'open debate' on this question. Nonsense, according to Diekstra, because one cannot debate the truth. He is supporter of the imposition of recognition of the Armenian Genocide to Turkey, namely by putting this as a condition for the negotiations with the EU. This is the best way, also for the democratisation and human rights in Turkey, according to Diekstra.

The recognition of the Genocide by the Dutch Parliament does not mean that the 24 April Committee will remain quiet. The Committee wants, in co-operation with Dutch organisations, to do something for the information deprivation in the Netherlands about this subject, among others by means of lesson material. Furthermore the Committee puts: denial of the Armenian genocide must be stopped, to start with the Netherlands. To this end the committee will not be afraid of taking legal steps against denialists of the Genocide.