Today, parliamentarians from all political parties and both Houses of the UK Parliament gathered at the Cenotaph in London to pay their respects and commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and call for the UK Government to recognise it as genocide.
The ceremony opened with a speech by Andre Vartanian, representing the Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom (ANC-UK). Jessica Morden MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Armenia, delivered a moving address, followed by remarks from the Ambassador of Armenia to the United Kingdom, Varuzhan Nersesyan, and Garen Arevian, Chair of the Armenian Community Council of the UK. After the speeches, wreaths were laid at the Cenotaph.
The ceremony was attended by Members of Parliament and representatives from the House of Lords, including: Ben Lake MP (Plaid Cymru), Chris Law MP (Scottish National Party), Sammy Wilson MP (Democratic Unionist Party), Jessica Morden MP (Labour), Andrew Rosindell MP (Conservative), James MacCleary MP (Liberal Democrats), Baroness Jenny Jones (Green Party) and John Spellar (House of Lords).
Following the ceremony, a letter calling for formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide was handed to the Prime Minister by Andre Vartanian and Garen Arevian.
We express our sincere gratitude to all the Members of Parliament and Lords in attendance, and to the representatives of civil society and allied organisations who stood in solidarity with the Armenian people on this significant occasion: Father David Thomas representing HART, George Alexandrou, representative of the National Federation of Cypriots, Dr James Smith, Deputy Chair and Founder of AEGIS Trust, and Director of Deputy Legacy, James Joseph.
Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom
