Armenian Genocide Monument to be Unveiled in Wales

2 Nov. 2007
HULIQ, NC

6vote Several hundred Armenians from across the United Kingdom will gather at the Temple of Peace, Cardiff at 1.00 p.m. on Saturday for the unveiling of the first public monument to the Armenian Genocide in the UK.

Permission has been granted by the United Nations Association Wales and the monument will stand on land owned by the National Assembly of Wales. The monument will be unveiled by the presiding officer of the National Assembly, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas and the Armenian Ambassador, Dr Vahe Gabrielyan.

Welsh and Armenian choirs as well as Armenian dancers will take part in the unveiling. Canon Patrick Thomas, a well-known Welsh writer, will speak on the topic of "Armenia and Wales" and Mike Joseph, a highly respected Welsh-Jewish historian and academic will speak about Member of Parliament Aneurin Williams, the Welsh lobbyist for Armenia in Parliament during the time of the Genocide. Prayers will be said in Welsh, Armenian and Aramean.

The Monument is a "thank you" to the people of Wales for the Recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the political cultural and religious representatives of the nation.

Wales has distinguished itself by being the first country within the UK to recognize the Armenian Genocide at both national and regional levels.
This event is unique for a number of reasons. This is the first time a plot of land has been allocated in a public area within the UK for a memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The stone is Welsh, the design is Armenian, the stonemason is Welsh and the inscription is by the hand of a Bishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The commemorative words are in Welsh, Armenian and English.

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