On April 24, the Jerusalem Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the Easter.

Archbishop Aris Shirvanyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that hundreds of Armenia pilgrimages from Yerevan, Istanbul, Samtskhe-Javakhetia, and Los Angeles attended the religious service. He stressed that no clashes with Greek clergymen occurred.

The Armenian community marked the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. On this occasion, the Armenian community is to hold a protest in front of the Turkish consulate in Jerusalem, Shirvanyan said. The authorities are unlikely to take measures to prevent the action, he added.

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, half 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.