Alsumaria Dozens of Armenians in Duhok marked on Monday the anniversary of the genocide which they were subject to at the beginning of the last century and called the international community to exert pressure on the Turkish government to apologize and to give compensations to the Armenian people.

“Saint Mary Church for Armenian Orthodox, held masses and religious festivities in remembrance of those who passed away during the genocide of Armenians who were killed by Turkish authorities at the beginning of the last century” the Priest Arton Khalatian told Alsumarianews. The priest added that the commemoration aims at reminding the young Armenians of the endurance of their ancestors.

In Saint Mary Church in Zakho city, 45 km north of Duhok masses and eulogizing ceremonies took place in commemoration of the genocide victims. During the ceremony speakers called the international community to interfere in order to exert pressure on the Turkish government to apologize from Armenian people and to provide them with compensations.

“Armenians want to send a message to the whole world that they want freedom, peace and stability. Nevertheless, they cannot forget the suffering Turkish authorities caused to their people when it killed, attacked and displaced them and they called upon the international community to exert pressure on Turkey to apologize from the Armenians.

At the beginning of the 1920ies Armenians started a mass emigration wave towards Iraq as they were subject to a genocide campaign led by the Turkish Authorities, and killed more than 1 million people, Armenian sources say. The number of Armenians in Iraq is estimated to be about 20000 people living in Duhok, Mosul, Baghdad, Kirkuk and Basra.

“Armenians living in Iraq’s Kurdistan constitute now an integral part of the Iraqi social tissue and had considerably taken part in Iraq development”, said Fazkin Harik (48 years old) who was participating in the commemoration. “Iraq’s Armenians are proud of their national identity and their future is linked to that of Iraq”, he added.

“Armenians in Kurdistan region are enjoying their rights as they have a representative in the parliament and they also have a representative in Duhok Province Council, in addition 3 official schools in the Province teach Armenian”, Harik added. “Armenians in the region are communicating with their mother land Armenia”, he added.

Kista neighborhood in Zakho region is considered the main location for Armenians in Duhok Province as it encloses the church of Saint Mary for Armenians Orthodox which was built in 1923. The region also encloses the administrative Committee to manage the Armenian religion and Armenians’ cultural club. To that, there are two Armenian villages in the region: Avzrok and Horizk which were rebuilt in the last few years.

Well informed Armenian sources in Duhok region say that more than 200 Armenian families settled in the region after emigrating from other Iraqi region under threats from armed groups. To that, Armenians already live in the region especially in Zakho and Simil since the beginning of the last century.

It is to be noted that the number of Armenians in Iraq was more than 20000 but this number decreased lately because of the security threats that impelled many Armenian families to immigrate.

Sources say that Armenians have been in Iraq since more than 100 years and the majority of Armenian families live in the provinces of Nineveh, Baghdad, Kirkuk, Basra and Duhok, 460 km north of Baghdad.