9480 - The necessary recognition of the genocide of the Assyrians

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Evi Charitidou

Many of our own in Greece do not know what to do exactly as regards the genocide issue. And most of them remain passive by simply waiting for moves on the part of the others. Whereas the European Union’s decision in 2006 and Sweden’s one in 2010 are clear, since they present the three genocides of the Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks as parts of a single framework. In fact, it is in this framework that the partial recognitions by Australia stand. In Greece we very well know that these genocides resulted by the same strategy on the part of the Ottoman Empire, the Young-Turks and the Kemal regime. In reality, they are a trinity of genocide. And it is in this way that it should be presented to constitute the most powerful weapon in the recognition struggle. The genocide of the Greeks of Pontus has been recognized since 1994 and the Armenians one since 1996. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the genocide of the Assyrians, if we truly want to rationally and efficiently fight barbarity and genocide of memory. This coalition framework has to be created not only on humanness grounds, which is the primary and the most important reason, but also on grounds of strategy. For, we cannot ostensibly fight for the recognition of the genocide of our own, while we ourselves are not fighting for the recognition of our own. It is significant to realize that the Assyrian victims are our victims, too. And no one has the right to leave its own deceased behind. The same holds for the human rights fighters who as Servants of Humanity should not let any barbarians grab their victims. If we do not do this, then our struggle has no meaning and attacks by Turkey should not surprise us, when we turn to international courts, because, we ourselves would not have met our obligations towards our deceased. The Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks are victims of the same trinity of genocide. Consequently, only united as three fingers we will manage to claim our human rights. So, let’s recognize as soon as possible the genocide of the Assyrians in Greece.