Cyprus to Mark Centenary of Armenian Genocide by a Series of Events

YEREVAN (ARKA.am) — Cyprus will hold a series of events to mark the centenary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, the visiting chairman of the House of Representatives of Cyprus, Yiannakis Omirou, said today during a joint press conference with the speaker of the National Assembly Galust Sahakyan.

He said the events will be started when an Armenian parliament delegation, to be led by Galust Sahakyan, who was extended an invitation, visits Cyprus.

He said also his government considers unacceptable the behavior of Azerbaijani authorities who refuse to give the Armenian side access to the wreckage of an Armenian military helicopter shot down near Nagorno-Karabakh for recovering the bodies of its three crew members.

“Cyprus condemns any violence, and the helicopter incident was an act of violence and I think this attitude is unacceptable,” said Omirou.

He noted that even the laws of war, which operate for centuries, require respect for the killed soldiers.

He said Cyprus supports Armenia’s position on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and stressed that Cyprus is governed by international law, UN resolutions and other international laws.

“We support the position of Armenia that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resolved by peaceful means within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. We are confident that a solution can be found only on the basis of norms and principles of international law, and then Nagorno-Karabakh will be recognized by all the other countries,” said Omirou.