Cortic: Serbia understands suffering of Armenians

YEREVAN - Serbia understands the suffering of the Armenians that began on April 24, 1915 because the people of Serbia were victims of genocide committed against them in World War II, Serbian MP Aleksandar Cotric said during a global panel against the crime of genocide held in Yerevan.

The people of Serbia suffered and is still suffering in Kosovo-Metohija, wherefrom over 200,000 people were banished, Cotric said as quoted in the Serbian parliament release, adding that 2,500 Serbs were murdered and 40,000 of their homes and over 150 Orthodox churches and monasteries were completely destroyed.

The Serbian MP underscored that the 100th anniversary of the crime against Armenians should be an occasion to launch normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey and a historic reconciliation between Armenians and Turks.

The meeting organised to mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the massacre against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire gathers around 1,000 representatives of states, governments, parliaments, international organisations, religious communities and NGOs.

The global forum against the crime of genocide was opened by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on April 22.

Photo Tanjug Video (archive)