Head of Czech Parliament uses "genocide" term in Yerevan

One should remember the past and draw lessons from it - the President of the Czech Republic and other politicians attended the Armenian Genocide Centenary events in Prague, Jan Hamacek, Chair of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, said at a joint press conference with Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Galust Sahakyan in Yerevan. To note, Hamacek is also the head of the Czech-Azerbaijani parliamentary friendship group. 

When asked whether the Czech Parliament may adopt a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide, Jan Hamacek replied that the Czech Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee clearly expressed its opinion, unanimously adopting a relevant resolution on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide Centenary.      

When speaking of the Armenian-Czech relations, Jan Hamacek said that they are at the highest level but there are many opportunities to deepen them. 

For his part, Galust Sahakyan said that he discussed anti-terrorism fight issues with his Czech counterpart.  He added that the meeting also covered issues related to promotion of cooperation in various areas, including economy. "We exchanged views on the international situation, particularly, the developments in the Middle East, as well as on the fight against terrorism and genocides. Armenians perfectly realize the need to fight terrorism because they suffered genocide," Sahakyan said. 

To recall, during a meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Czech President Milos Zeman described the killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in 1915 as genocide. On April 14, 2015, the Foreign Relations Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic adopted a resolution on the Armenian Genocide Centenary.