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The Armenians of Iran call on the Iranian authorities to recognize the Armenian Genocide, said the IRI Majlis MP of Armenian origin, Karen Khanlaryan, according to the Iranian news agency IRIB.

During his speech in Majlis, the Armenian MP referred to the policy of denial that Turkey conducts regarding the Armenian Genocide. “Turkey has committed genocide against Kurds and Muslim Alevis over the past years. Today Iran is one of those few countries in the region, where no massacre or encroachment has been committed. Various ethnic groups and religious minorities live peacefully in this country,” he said.

Karen Khanlaryan also spoke about the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide and presented the demands of the Iranian Armenian community adding that the Armenians of Iran call on the Iranian authorities to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Earlier, the IRI Majlis Iranian-Armenian MP told the Iranian information agency ISNA that the most important objective of the Armenian community in Iran is the issue of the Armenian Genocide. He said that 40 per cent of the Iranian Armenians are the descendants of the Genocide victims.  

As regards the number of the adherents of the Armenian Apostolic Church, he said, “98-99 per cent of the Iranian Armenians are adherents of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and 1-2 percent are Catholic and Protestant Churches’ adherents. Today, 13-14 million Armenians live all over the world, including the population of Armenia. There are about 100 thousand adherents of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Iran.”

The Armenian Apostolic Church in Iran comprises three dioceses: those of Atrpatakan, Tehran and Isfahan. The interests of the Iranian Armenians in the IRI Majlis are represented by two MPs – Karen Khanlaryan and Robert Beglaryan.

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