Outgoing Uruguay President Calls on Turkey to Face Dark Pages of its History

MONTEVIDEO — The outgoing President of Uruguay Jose Mujica held a farewell meeting with a delegation of representatives of civil and religious organization of the Armenian community and pledged to cooperate in organizing the Armenian Genocide centenary commemorative events, President’s Press Office reported.

The meeting was attended by Tourism Minister Uruguay-Armenian Lilian Keshishian, Armenia’s Honorary Concil Roupen Aprahamian, Primate of Uruguay Diocese Archbishop Hagop Keledjian and representatives of all Uruguay Armenian organizations.

During the meeting President Mujika highlighted the contribution of the Armenian community in Uruguay, and recalled that “Uruguay was the first to recognize the Armenian Genocide.”

Referring to countries, which refuse to recognize the crime, the President said “recognition of the Armenian Genocide is one of the pending cases facing our poor humanity.”

President José Mujica accepted the invitation of the Armenian community organizations to join the Committee to Commemorate the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide as an honorable member, once he leaves office on 1 March 2015.

“I know that the Turkish people will be offended but I am certain that the Genocide really occurred and if I can be useful, I will agree with great pleasure to accept that proposal”, Mujica said.

“We cannot change the past, but we have to learn from it and recognize the atrocities that men have perpetrated to avoid such crimes in the future,” the President stated.