Message to participants in commemorative events dedicated to the 111th anniversary of the Armenian genocide

The President's message reads, in part:

"Today we bow our heads in memory of the hundreds of thousands of victims of the Armenian genocide - one of the most terrible tragedies of the 20^th century. The brutal massacre of defenceless, entirely innocent people - killed, wounded, and driven from their home towns and villages - shocked the entire civilised world, and its catastrophic consequences convincingly demonstrated the devastating impact of inciting religious hatred, nationalism, and xenophobia.

I would like to note that our country's stance on this issue has always been unwavering. As early as May 1915, it was reflected in a joint Declaration of Russia, Great Britain, and France condemning the violence against the Armenian people as a crime against humanity and civilisation, and later, in a new historical period, in the State Duma Statement of April 14, 1995.

We are convinced that the policy of mass extermination and deportation of people on ethnic grounds has no, and cannot have, any justification, and the international community must join forces to ensure that such barbarism is never repeated anywhere."