New York, October 2011
H.E.
The President of the French Republic
Nicolas SarkozySir,
On behalf of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, a global-reach educational NGO, allow us to express through these brief lines our heartfelt congratulations for the statements you made during your recent visit to Armenia.
In Yerevan you clearly expressed that the Armenian Genocide is a historic fact that deserves a bigger than just a personal condemnation and that the period that elapsed from 1915 to 2011 represents enough time for reflection. “The Armenian genocide is a historical reality. Collective denial is even worse than individual denial.”, you clearly said while, at the same time, you urged to revisit the history about the killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire.
It is also worth underlying here your suggestion that the French Parliament might consider a law making denial of the deaths of Armenians as genocide a crime, similar to the law against Holocaust denial.
Moreover, we are glad to inform you about the latest activities of the Wallenberg Foundation regarding its worldwide campaign of awareness and reconciliation vis a vis the Armenian people, its history and its heritage.
The board of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation unanimously approved the initiative to pay tribute to the Armenian Christian heroes who helped Jews and others persecuted by the Nazis during WWII. A Memorial, the first of its kind in the world, would be erected in several cities around the globe. The guiding concept that inspires us in the search of everlasting pieces may be expressed using the words of the proverb: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”.
At the Wallenberg Foundation we do not deal specifically with the Holocaust victims’ chapter, albeit we consider it decisive and unavoidable, but with what we call the luminous side of the Shoah. The memory of the Saviors’ heroic deeds and the values they stood for must become a daily commitment to upholding humanitarian principles and a stance against prejudices, stereotypes and fallacies.
Our line of thinking always looks for positive conclusions. We consider that even in the most challenging situations it is worth waving the flag of the values of solidarity and civic courage. In this spirit we strive to educate our children and the generations to come.
Hoping to have the opportunity to congratulate you in a private meeting, we remain,
Eduardo Eurnekian Baruch Tenembaum
Honorary Chairman FounderPS: We want to extend our congratulations to you and Mme Carla Bruni Sarkozy on the birth of your daughter Giulia. May you have many years of happiness together.
October 27, 2011
