Protest Against Davutoglu’s Visit Staged in Yerevan

YEREVAN — Activists from Social Democrat Hunchakian Party’s Sargis Tkhruni student-youth union, Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun party’s Nikol Aghbalyan student and youth union, along with representatives of other opposition forces rallied early Thursday morning in front of Armenia Marriott Hotel to protest against Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who Thursday arrived in Yerevan to attend the 29th session of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)

Demonstrators chanted “shame” and waved posters saying: “Stop the occupation of Armenian land” and “Stop the blockade”. They held banners calling on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and to stop its anti-Armenian policies.

“We are protesting against Davutoglu’s visit to Yerevan. We also demand that Turkey’s current leaders and current generation recognize the Armenian Genocide. We also demand compensation because Turkey seized our territories,” one of the demonstrators said.

Davutoglu made his way into the Marriott hotel from its back entrance apparently to avoid facing the demonstrators against his visit outside the meeting venue.