YEREVAN. - Armenia is extremely passive in international recognition of the Genocide, Major General Arkadi Ter-Tadevosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am during his visit to Armenian Genocide Memorial Tsitsernakaberd on Sunday.

“However, it should be noted that Armenia stepped up efforts in this direction during the second and third presidents of Armenia,” Ter-Tadevosyan noted.

According to him, formation of national ideology should serve as a constructive step in this direction.

“The Armenian people must be united in fighting for historic justice. The experience of other nations in recognition of genocides should also be considered,” he said, referring to Holocaust.

During World War I, the Turkish authorities accused Armenians of showing favor to Russia and used it as a pretext for declaring the Armenian population the nation’s enemy. Many historians consider the events in 1915-1923 as a state-sponsored massacre, genocide. The Armenian side claims over 1.5 million victims, 50% of the Armenians early in the 20th century.

Many states have recognized the Armenian Genocide. Uruguay was the first to do it in 1965. The Armenian Genocide has since been recognized by Russia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, as well as by 42 of the U.S. states. The Armenian Genocide has also been recognized by Vatican, the European Parliament, and World Church Council.

The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives approved an Armenian Genocide resolution on March 4.