On December 14-15, 2010, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of RA in cooperation with the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute organized an international conference titled “The Crime of Genocide: Prevention, Condemnation and Elimination of Consequences”.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandyan opened the conference and a follow –up speech was delivered by the President of RA Serzh Sargsyan: “Today, more than ever, it is necessary to take serious steps and develop efficient mechanisms for the prevention of genocides. And today, more than ever, the impunity of different political administrations and states, which have committed the crime of genocide, absence of international condemnation, lack of adequate mechanisms or their ineptitude created a situation when the mankind, along with other grave challenges, still faces the threat of new genocides.

Bitter lessons of the Armenian Genocide are not just memories in the history of the world: they were amplified by the horrors of the Holocaust, genocides in Rwanda, Darfur and many other tragedies. Unfortunately, genocide denial and oblivion are still present in our world. Political expediency and short-sighted timeserving often prevail over the necessity to adopt and implement sound and reasonable decisions.”

Prominent genocide scholars from about 20 countries participated in the conference: Yves Ternon (France), Leandro Despouy (Argentine), Israel Charny (Israel), Donna-Lee Frieze (Australia), William Schabas (Ireland), François Roelants du Vivier (Belgium), Taner Akcam (USA-Germany), Richard Hovhannisian, (USA) Tessa Hofmann (Germany), Ayman Abdel Aziz Salama (Egypt), Frank Chalk (Canada), Matthias Bjørnlund (Denmark), Mohammed Rifat (Egypt), Theofanis Malkidis (Greece), Ruben Safrastyan (Armenia), Enzo Maria Le Fevre (Italy/Hungary), Tetsushi Ogata (Japan), Dickran Kouymjian (USA-France), Anthonie Holslag (Netherlands) , Armen Marsoobian (USA), Peter Balakian (USA), Wa’il Nicholas Khair (Lebanon) and Seda Parsamyan (Armenia).

The conference consisting of four sessions was moderated by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of RA Arman Kirakossyan, by the adviser to the director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Science of RA Nikolay Hovhannisyan, by the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute Hayk Demoyan and by the member of Constitutional Court of Armenia Vladimir Vardanyan.