By Ruzanna Stepanian and Harry Tamrazian
YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am) — In remarks denounced by critics as advancement of a Turkish narrative a close ally of Prime Minister Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has pronounced in favor of essentially “verifying” the number of victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey that is widely believed to be 1.5 million.
Andranik Kocharyan, a senior member of Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party and lawmaker who heads the parliament’s defense committee, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service in a TV program aired on Sunday, April 14, that Pashinyan’s goal is to build “real foundations” related to the Genocide and “make the entire list of compatriots subjected to genocide more objective.”
He stressed that it is necessary to have the names of all Armenians subjected to genocide and verify “where, how and under what conditions” they were killed.
Kocharyan reiterated the idea during a press briefing in parliament on Monday, April 15.
“This is a simple goal for us to know the addresses and locations of each of our 1.5 million compatriots. It is very important for the building of our relations in the future as well,” Kocharyan said.