Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 April 2023
28. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will recognise the Armenian genocide of 2015; if he will consult the Attorney General in relation to any legal concerns he may have about doing so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19634/23]
View answerThe Government views the terrible events which saw the deaths of a large number of the Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire as a tragedy. We have expressed deepest sympathy for the enormous suffering of the Armenian people during this period.
I wish to emphasise that our position on the description of these events does not diminish our recognition of the terrible and shocking nature of what occurred to the Armenian people between 1915 and 1917.
The term ‘genocide’ has a particular meaning under international law. The Government has not taken a stance on whether those terrible events should be described as a genocide, because we are not in a position to adjudicate on this matter. To reach a conclusion that any event amounts to genocide involves the consideration and determination of a number of complex factual and legal issues, including an assessment of the actions and intentions of many parties. Ireland has followed the established practice of recognising genocide only where this has been established by a judgment of an Irish or international court, or where there is international consensus on the matter.
Neither the EU nor the UN has adopted a position on this question and there is no international consensus on whether these events amount to genocide. Furthermore, no Irish or international court has issued a final judgment recognising these terrible events as an act of genocide. We continue to carefully monitor developments on this issue.
