STOCKHOLM — At an event held at Swedish Parliament on 23 April, lawmakers, diplomats, clergy, and many other participants commemorated the Genocide of 1915 against the Christian peoples of the Ottoman Empire. During World War I, the Syriac (Aramean-Assyrian-Chaldean), Armenian, and (later) Pontic Greek peoples of the empire were decimated.

Members of Parliament for the Sweden Democrats Björn Söder and Arin Karapet and the Ambassador of Armenia to Sweden, Anna Aghadjanian, held speeches, with musical performances by violinist Arsen Bedros and pianist Dennis Jie Xu.

MP Björn Söder stated on his Facebook page that the “genocide in the Ottoman Empire during World War I is often referred to as the 1915 Genocide, the Armenian Genocide or, by Assyrians and Syriacs, as Seyfo. During the genocide, around 1.5 million Armenians were killed, but other Christian minorities in the Empire — Assyrians, Syriacs, Chaldeans and Pontic Greeks — were also murdered.”

“Most of them died in the years 1915-1916, but the persecutions and killings continued until 1923. The victims constituted more than half of the Armenian population of the area, and most of those who survived were forced to flee the country. The Ottoman Empire was largely emptied of its Christian population.”

MP Arin Karapet stated that on his Facebook page: “The moment of remembrance reminded us of the importance of never forgetting one of history’s darkest chapters. Remembering is also taking responsibility. By acknowledging what happened, we can learn from history and work to ensure that such crimes are never repeated.”

Swedish Parliament officially recognized the genocide on 11 March 2010. At the same time, it called on the Swedish government to recognize the genocide of Armenians, Syriacs (Arameans-Assyrians-Chaldeans) and Pontic Greeks. To this day, the government has not done so.

The anniversary remains an annual occasion to reaffirm the importance of historical memory and justice. In MP Björn Söder’s words: “Let us always remember and never forget!”