Today is the International day of the Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan, the Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry Boris Sahakyan and other high-ranking diplomats paid a tribute to the memory of the victims of genocide.

The International day of the Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime was declared in 2015 by the UN on the initiative of Armenia. The primary goal of the day is the fight against genocide, reminding people about the irreversible loss of the humanity caused by genocide.

Commemoration of the memory of genocide victims is an important step for preserving historical memory which is one of the means to ensure the genocide prevention.

December 9 was chosen as a commemoration day taken into account the fact that Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the UN on this day. Today is also the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention. Convention as the first international human rights treaty not only provided the definition of genocide but also raised issues of elimination of impunity and justice towards the victims. Convention was ratified by 153 UN member states.

Armenia will continue its commitments towards the prevention of genocide, including through various initiatives in UN framework.