Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg visited the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex today, reports Armenpress.
The Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), Edita Gzoyan, welcomed Thunberg at the complex and provided an overview of the memorial’s creation and historical significance.
Gzoyan shared the story behind the three khachkars at Tsitsernakaberd, which are dedicated to the memory of Armenians who perished in massacres organized by the Azerbaijani government in Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku in the late 20th century.
Additionally, Gzoyan highlighted the stories of five freedom fighters buried before the Memory Wall, who were martyred during the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war, emphasizing the ongoing relevance of the Armenian Genocide in the context of continued persecution and violence against Armenians.
Thunberg observed a moment of silence at the Eternal Flame in honor of the 1.5 million innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Gzoyan also presented the work of international scholars, missionaries, politicians, and public figures who spoke out against the massacres and genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thunberg expressed particular interest in the story of Swedish missionary Alma Johansson.
Thunberg toured the Armenian Genocide Museum, where she explored both permanent and temporary exhibitions, accompanied by AGMI tour guide Elen Hakobyan. Following her tour, Thunberg left a note and signed the museum’s guestbook, writing: “Thank you for your invaluable work. Now it’s up to each and everyone of us to continue spread awareness and demand justice. Never again for anyone.”
At the end of the visit, Gzoyan presented Thunberg with books about the Armenian Genocide and Artsakh.
