On the Issues of Echoes to International Official and Non-Official Recognition of the Armenian Genocide

A lot has been written and spoken about the political significance of international official recognition of the Armenian Genocide. In Armenian discourse, the moral aspect of recognition is hardly discussed, nor is what it gives to the Armenian communities of the recognizing countries. The presentation will consider the following aspects of this approach:
1. The recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as a rule, took place by the state parliaments. The parliaments represent the will of the citizens of the given state; therefore, parliamentary recognitions should first of all be qualified as a manifestation of the will and decision of the citizens of the given state.
2. The official recognition of the Armenian Genocide is, first and foremost, a manifestation of respect towards the Armenian citizens of the given state, for whom it is one of the essential elements of their identity. This element is considered in restoring historical justice and voicing the historical truth.
3. As a rule, there are monuments, in this case, khachkars, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide in various cities of the world. In my opinion, these are monuments with intra-community significance and function. Meanwhile, the political recognition of the Armenian Genocide is also a unique challenge for the Armenian communities of the given state to self-organize and take successive steps of a different nature, such as establishing museums and exhibitions dedicated to the Armenian Genocide, and not only; or taking steps towards inclusion of the topic of the Armenian Genocide in the school curricula of the given state, in other words, doing something aimed at making the knowledge of the Armenian Genocide and the lessons derived from it part of the collective memory of the citizens of the given state. These are cultural undertakings with obvious political significance.
4. The Armenian Genocide is an indisputable fact. It is obvious that purely political factors condition the official recognitions of the Armenian Genocide. Many countries do not make such decisions based on not spoiling their relations with Turkey. In this case, in my opinion, various manifestations of non-official but also international recognition of the Armenian Genocide are gaining importance. The most important are the planting of spruces and the installation of information signs by the high-ranking representatives of different states in the Park of Remembrance on the territory of the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. Such undertakings, the protection of spruces, their planting, and even regular publicizing of the facts of watering by other state representatives (even ordinary visitors), with relevant historical references on websites and elsewhere, contribute to the formation of a particular public opinion. I think that the wreaths and their ribbons placed on the Monument of the victims of the Armenian Genocide by the embassies accredited in Armenia on April 24 of every year are also manifestations of unofficial recognition, which should be registered and, if necessary, publicized.