In Solemn Paris Ceremony, Macron Leads Armistice Commemorations, Pashinyan Speaks at Peace Forum

After the ceremony, leaders returned to the Elysee Palace for a lunch to be hosted by Macron and his wife Brigitte.

On Sunday afternoon, Macron hosted the inaugural Paris Peace Forum.

Pashinyan at Peace Forum

Armenian Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the Paris Peace Conference. He brought up both the Armenian Genocide as well as the Karabakh (Artsakh) stalemate. He also said that because of the Armenian Genocide, similar tragedies have befallen other peoples.

The conference was opened by the welcoming words of the Vice President of the Paris Peace Conference Executive Committee, Trisha Shetty as well as Macron. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres also spoke.

Said Pashinyan, “World War I was a global tragedy for all the peoples involved, and eventually led to the collapse of the referral states. There is conviction that in geopolitical and military terms, there are always winners and losers in wars. However, from the human point of view nobody wins. Wars cause only loss, suffering, and destructions.”

He added, “And despite our united efforts and calls for learning from previous mistakes, these lessons are easily forgotten. During the First World War, the Entente powers first used the definition of ‘crime against humanity and civilization’ thus condemning the Ottoman authorities for the destruction of 1.5 million Armenians. Later this terrible crime was to be called the first genocide of the 20th century.

“However, only a few decades later, humanity witnessed the Holocaust, the genocides of Cambodia, Rwanda, the genocides of Christians and Yezidis in the Middle East, the violence against the people of Rohingya.”

He then spoke about Artsakh.

“One of the lessons of the war was the formulation of the right of peoples to self-determination in 14 well-known Wilson celebrations. It was then included in the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, and became the basis for the half of the modern world’s independence.

“As a result of the World War I, the peoples of the world with the power of the law confirmed their right to rule their own destiny with free expression of will. Here, in France, I consider it necessary to underline that just a few days ago France clearly reaffirmed its principled position on this issue.”

He continued, For that reason, the decades-long struggle of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh has not yet received a proper legal solution to manage its fate. In the 21st century it is absolutely unacceptable that the desire to apply the right of people to self-determination can turn into a biological threat.”

He praised the gathering, suggesting that the coming together of nations for dialogue reduced tensions.

“That is why we need to remember the most important lesson of World War I. No state can build its success on the misery of others, no one can gain freedom from the slavery of others.

The end of the First World War ended a hundred years ago. And this is a great opportunity to think about the era of peace without wars. I believe that the leaders gathered here in Paris will be able to achieve that goal. And it will be the best esteem of respect for the innocent victims of the preceding century. “

After the speech Nikol Pashinyan handed a symbolic book to the Peace Library, an illustrated book by historian Hayk Demoyan titled Coverage of the Armenian Genocide on the First World Press.

The previous evening, Pashinyan and his wife, Anna Hakobyan, along with other leaders and their spouses visited the “Picasso, Blue and Rose” exhibition  at the Musée d’Orsay.

(Material from Prime Minister Pashinyan’s office was used in this story.)