Today, on April 24th, Armenians around the world, along with many other nations, commemorate the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian Genocide – the systematic and premeditated killing of over 1.5 million Armenians – was perpetrated by the government of the Young Turks in various regions of the Ottoman Empire beginning in 1915 during WWI.

The first international reaction to the violence was a joint statement by France, Russia, and Great Britain in May 1915, in which the Turkish atrocities directed against the Armenian people were defined as “a new crime against humanity and civilization,” and the Turkish government was held accountable for these crimes.

When WWI erupted, the Young Turks government, hoping to preserve the remnants of the weakened Ottoman Empire, adopted a policy of Pan-Turkism – the establishment of a mega-Turkish empire comprising all Turkic-speaking peoples from the Caucasus and Central Asia extending to China, with the aim of Turkifying all ethnic minorities of the empire. The Armenian population was seen as the main obstacle to the realization of this policy.

An estimated two million Armenians lived in the Ottoman Empire before WWI. Over one and a half million Armenians were killed from 1915 to 1923. Those who survived were either forced to convert to Islam, exiled, or sought refuge in different parts of the world.

The first phase of the Armenian Genocide began on April 24, 1915, with the arrest of several hundred Armenian intellectuals and national elite members (mainly in the Ottoman capital, Constantinople) and their subsequent elimination. This is why April 24 is observed as Remembrance Day for the Armenian Genocide.

The second phase involved the forced conscription of around 60,000 Armenian men into the Turkish military, who were later disarmed and murdered.

The third phase of the genocide saw the exile and massacre of women, children, and the elderly, who were deported to the Syrian desert. Hundreds of thousands were murdered by Turkish soldiers, police officers, and Kurdish and Circassian gangs during the deportation. Many others died of disease and starvation. Thousands of women and children were subjected to sexual violence. Tens of thousands were forcibly converted to Islam.

Finally, the last phase of the Armenian Genocide is marked by the total denial by the present-day Turkish government of the mass killings and the elimination of the Armenian people from their homeland. Despite ongoing international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey – the successor state to the Ottoman Empire – continues to deny the genocide, claiming the deaths were due to wartime conditions, and uses historical falsifications, propaganda, and lobbying to promote this narrative.

The term genocide was first introduced in 1944 by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, whose family was a victim of the Holocaust. He used the term to define the systematic murder and cruelty of the Nazis, as well as the atrocities committed against Armenians in 1915.

On December 9, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which defined genocide as an international crime and obligated signatory states to prevent and punish those responsible for committing genocide.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan released a statement on April 24 paying homage to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

In his address, Pashinyan linked remembrance of the 1915 Armenian Genocide with a broader political message emphasizing statehood, peace, and the Republic of Armenia’s current internationally recognized borders as the foundation for the country’s future.

He also warned that certain forces promoting the so-called “historical justice” risk pushing Armenia back toward policies that could endanger its statehood and sovereignty.

Below is the full text of Pashinyan’s statement.

“Dear people, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

Today we commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915—the Medz Yeghern—and pay tribute to our compatriots who, for being Armenian, were subjected to massacre, deportation, and famine in the Ottoman Empire. The Medz Yeghern is the greatest tragedy that has befallen our people, one that we have been reliving for 111 years.

Every year on April 24, tens of thousands of our citizens march to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to bow before our martyred compatriots. Our nationwide procession on this day is also an _expression_ of reflection, remembrance, historical assessment, and a determination to prevent the recurrence of the Medz Yeghern. It is upon this reflection and determination that the policies of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the ruling majority in recent years have been based.

By your mandate, citizens of the Republic of Armenia, we have shown resolve to more deeply understand our people’s past and its recurring patterns, in order to prevent their repetition and to build a better present and future.

Today we have reached that goal, including by recognizing that the Medz Yeghern must not be allowed to become a tool in the hands of international actors in their conflicts with one another. The academic volume on the History of Armenia published by our National Academy of Sciences substantiates that the Medz Yeghern was also a consequence of the practice of drawing the Armenian people into international machinations—a practice that began in the mid-19th century and reached its tragic culmination in 1915.

Dear people, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia, our people’s greatest aspiration has been fulfilled: we have a state, and we have peace. Statehood and peace are the guarantees that the Armenian Genocide will never happen again.

To realize this historic goal, we must cease searching for a homeland beyond the internationally recognized 29,743 square kilometers of the Republic of Armenia. This territory is not small for the prosperity, development, and well-being of the Armenian people. Today, dozens of our settlements are empty, and many more—as well as our state overall—are underpopulated. This has been due to a lack of peace and an absence of awareness that the homeland is the state, identity is the state, and security is the state—with its internationally recognized borders. Based on this understanding, the Armenian people must move beyond the logic of emigration and wandering.

With its current territory, the Republic of Armenia can become a home to 5 million, even 10 million Armenians. The territory of Singapore is smaller than two-thirds of Lake Sevan, yet 5.5 million people live there, because the state is built on education, self-awareness, peace, and human-centered aspirations. Today we are leading the Republic of Armenia with this very logic—the ideology of a Real Armenia—understanding that peace and security, first and foremost, mean normalized relations with neighbors, based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity, sovereignty, inviolability of borders, and political independence.

Those forces that call for “reclaiming lost homelands,” “restoring historical borders,” and “historical justice” place the Republic of Armenia back on the path of the 1878 San Stefano Conference, whose inevitable final stop is the loss of statehood and homeland. This is because everyone in the world has their own history, their own justice, and their own lost homeland.

We have ultimately escaped this trap, and attempts to drag Armenia back in that direction are an invitation to the gallows for our state and people. At the cost of victims and sacrifices, we have found and rediscovered our homeland, and that homeland is the Republic of Armenia. The repayment of all our martyrs’ sacrifices is the eternity of the Republic of Armenia.

The freedom, security, and well-being of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia are the fulfillment of the aspirations and interrupted dreams of all our martyrs. We are moving along this path. The people of the Republic of Armenia are moving along this path.

Glory to the martyrs, and long live the Republic of Armenia.”

President Vahagn Khachaturyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, and other top officials visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan on April 24 to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims.

They laid a wreath at the memorial and then placed flowers at the eternal flame.

Cabinet ministers, members of Parliament, top police and military officials, as well as other officials and foreign ambassadors, also took part in the ceremony.

April 24, 2026, marks the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Spanish legislator Jon Iñarritu has emphasized that the historical reality of the Armenian Genocide is undeniable and that any effort to deny it is ultimately bound to fail.

In an interview with Armenpress, the Spanish Member of Parliament expressed hope that new political, academic, and intellectual generations in Türkiye will one day have the “courage” to fully acknowledge what happened in their predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire.

The Spanish lawmaker expressed the view that it is “just and necessary” to recognize and remember the first genocide of the 20th century, especially at a time when the logic of force and the rule “might is right” are once again prevailing in the world.

“The historical truth is undeniable, and any attempt to deny it is ultimately doomed to fail. I believe we are witnessing a steady and irreversible process of recognition. In my view, it is just and necessary to recognize and remember the first genocide of the 20th century, especially in times like the present, when the rule of ‘might is right’ and mass atrocities seem to be once again becoming normalized in various parts of the world.

Türkiye continues to threaten and pressure others in an attempt to prevent recognition, but this is an effort that is intellectually and morally unsustainable. The historical truth is undeniable, and any attempt to deny it is ultimately doomed to fail,” the Spanish lawmaker emphasized.

Asked under what circumstances or conditions Türkiye would eventually confront the historical truth by recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Jon Iñarritu noted with regret that successive Turkish governments have denied the genocide, regardless of their political orientation.

“Unfortunately, denial of what happened has been dominant among successive Turkish governments, regardless of their political orientation. However, I remain hopeful that new political, academic, and intellectual generations in Türkiye will one day have the courage to fully acknowledge what happened,” he said.

He added that recognition of the truth should not be seen as a threat, but rather as a foundation for mutual understanding between peoples, historical justice, and a more honest relationship with the past.

The lawmaker also spoke about the ongoing process of normalizing relations between Armenia and Türkiye, in the context of how this process could influence the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

“Dialogue is always positive, and I hope it will contribute to the improvement of relations between the two states and their peoples. However, Türkiye must come to terms with one essential reality: millions of Armenians around the world are the descendants of genocide survivors. They are the descendants of Armenians who once lived in what is now part of Türkiye, who were part of that society and contributed to its development through their knowledge, culture, work, and prosperity,” Jon Iñarritu emphasized.

In his view, a Türkiye that acknowledges what happened will be more democratically mature, morally stronger, and better prepared to build sincere relations with Armenia and with its own history.

The parliament of Sweden has hosted a remembrance event on the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

“Today in the Parliament we commemorated the Genocide 1915,” MP Björn Söder said in a statement on social media.

“The Genocide in the Ottoman Empire during World War I is often referred to as the Genocide 1915, the Armenian Genocide or, by especially Assyrians and Syrians, as Seyfo. During the Genocide around 1.5 million Armenians were killed, but also other Christian minorities in the Empire:

Assyrians, Syrians, Chaldeans and Pontic Greeks were killed. Most died over the years 1915-1916, but the persecutions and the killings continued until 1923. The victims constituted more than half of the Armenian population of the area, most of those who survived fled the country. The Ottoman Empire was largely emptied of its Christian population.

On March 11, 2010, the Riksdag announced to the government that Sweden must recognize the Genocide of Armenians, Assyrians/Syrians/Chaldeans and Pontic Greeks.

In the Riksdag, a commemoration of the Genocide 1915 is arranged annually.

After I gave introduction remarks, a speech was given by H.E. Anna Aghadjanian, Ambassador of Armenia to Sweden.  A clip from the film “Map of Salvation” was screened and beautiful music was performed by Aram Arsen Bedros, violinist and Dennis Jie Xu, pianist. Concluding remarks were given by my dear colleague Arin Karapet. Thank you all for participating. Let us always remember and never forget,” he said.

Member of the European Parliament Costas Mavrides from Cyprus believes that the Armenian Genocide should not be viewed only as a matter of historical memory, but as a lesson for the present and future of the Armenian people and all civilized nations.

“The European Parliament has repeatedly called on Türkiye to recognize the Armenian Genocide, one of the most horrific atrocities against humanity. Through my parliamentary work and interventions in European institutions, I have defended and will continue to defend historical truth, justice for the victims, and the struggle of the Armenian people. The continued institutional denial of the Armenian Genocide in Türkiye is a continuation of the crime against humanity and, at the same time, an official policy that lays the groundwork for the repetition of such crimes in the future,” the Member of the European Parliament told Armenpress.

He also recalled the forced displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan, which, as the MEP stressed, took place with Türkiye’s support, followed by a policy of destroying Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“For these reasons, the Armenian Genocide should not be viewed only as a matter of historical memory, but as a lesson for the present and future of the Armenian people and all civilized nations. The real task is not only to condemn genocide or similar crimes after they occur, but to act decisively to prevent such crimes before they are committed,” Mavrides said.

The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Sahag II, has released a statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

The statement marks April 24 with remembrance of the “tragedy experienced a century ago” and calls for dialogue, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence between Armenians and Turks as the basis for addressing historical wounds and building the future.

Below is the full statement released by the Istanbul-based Patriarchate, the autonomous see of the Armenian Apostolic Church. 

Dear faithful people,

Today is once again April 24, a day that calls us to stand with humility before one of the most painful pages of our history. This day brings us back to the memory of the tragedy experienced a century ago, which has left a deep mark on our national and spiritual life.

We remember the losses, deportations, exile, and immeasurable suffering endured by our people during the years of the First World War. This remembrance, however, is not meant only to remain within the dark pages of the past. It is also a call to give meaning to what we have endured and to move forward toward the future.

On this land, where for centuries different peoples lived side by side, the tradition of peaceful coexistence suffered a severe blow during those years. Yet this same geography also reminds us of an inescapable truth: peoples are not condemned to perpetual conflict, but are called to coexistence, dialogue, and mutual understanding.

We must acknowledge that beneath this land lie not only our own sorrows, but also the wounds of others. It is not enough to recount only our own history in order to find a true resolution. We are also obliged to listen to others, to understand their experiences, and to seek common ground that can serve as a foundation for the future.

In this sense, we reaffirm our call for the establishment of peace, reconciliation, and friendship between the Armenian and Turkish peoples. The tragedy of the past should not become a permanent dividing wall, but rather a heavy yet instructive experience from which lessons can be drawn to build a more just and peaceful future.

Neither denial nor hostility can heal wounds. Likewise, political exploitation does not serve the rapprochement of peoples. True progress is born from sincerity, mutual respect, and dialogue grounded in human values.

Therefore, we call on all sides to build bridges of friendship, encourage cultural and economic cooperation, and create an atmosphere in which history can be discussed without fear or hostility, but with a commitment to truth and justice.

We appreciate all steps, past and present, that are directed toward mutual sensitivity and rapprochement. In this context, it is also worth mentioning the annual messages of His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, on April 24, which are also addressed to the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople and our community. The _expression_ of condolence in these messages and the respect shown for the memory of those who lost their lives among our people under the difficult conditions of the First World War are, in our view, important steps toward the formation of an atmosphere of mutual understanding.

We value these messages as an _expression_ of human conscience and as gestures that can contribute to the gradual restoration of trust between peoples. Such approaches remind us that even in the face of the heaviest historical burdens, it is possible to choose the path of mutual respect and communication.

Today, on this day of remembrance for the holy martyrs, we turn to their intercession. Through their lives and martyrdom, they have become not only part of our memory but also living witnesses of our faith. They call us not to remain in the darkness of the past, but to live with hope and build the future.

As the prophetic word says: “Behold, I am doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19). We must seek this newness in our hearts by transforming our thoughts and attitudes.

Beloved,

May this day of remembrance become not only an occasion of mourning, but also of renewal. May God, in His mercy, touch our hearts and those of our neighbors, so that we may pass beyond the heavy shadows of the past and build a future based on justice, peace, and brotherhood.

May Almighty God, through the intercession of the Holy Mother of God and all our holy martyrs, bless the Armenian and Turkish peoples, guide them toward reconciliation and peaceful coexistence, and remove wars and hatred from the world.

May the love, mercy, and grace of God dwell within us and upon all humanity, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia released a statement on April 24, the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The statement highlights that, by remembering the past and paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, the Republic of Armenia is building its sovereign future guided by a peace agenda. 

Below is the full statement released by the Foreign Ministry.

“On April 24, we commemorate and pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire.

One and a half million men, women, children, and elderly people fell victim to the Mets Yeghern, were killed or consigned to death solely for being Armenian.

This atrocity committed against the Armenian people became one of the historical precedents that served as a basis for the adoption of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Despite the efforts of the international community, in the 21st century, we continue to witness racial and ethnic intolerance, hatred, and new mass atrocities carried out on that basis. Armenia feels a responsibility to remain continuously and consistently engaged in identifying the signs and early warning of such crimes, and to support initiatives aimed at their prevention and eradication. 

Through Armenia’s efforts, December 9, 2015, was included оn the United Nations list of international days as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. In 2025, at the plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly, the resolution entitled “The Decade of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime,” submitted by Armenia, was adopted by consensus. In March 2026, at the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the resolution “Prevention of Genocide,” also submitted by Armenia, was once again adopted by consensus.

Remembering the past and paying tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide, the Republic of Armenia is building its sovereign future guided by the peace agenda. The existence of good-neighborly relations and genuine cooperation among neighboring states is a minimum prerequisite for establishing lasting peace in the South Caucasus and ensuring the peaceful coexistence of all peoples in our region.”

The Embassy of Russia in Armenia paid tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, the annual Remembrance Day of the genocide perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century.

In a brief social media post, the Russian Embassy said: “We mourn together with the Armenian people on the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.”

French Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies paid tribute on Friday to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

April 24, 2026, marks the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which was perpetrated in the early 20th century in the Ottoman Empire.

“On April 24, we commemorate the Armenian Genocide of 1915, which took place 111 years ago,” the French ambassador said on X, sharing a historical photo depicting an Armenian woman and her dead child in a desert during the genocide.