Uruguay President: "I am sure that Genocide occurred and if I can be of any use, I will be glad"
Jose Mujica, the current president of Uruguay, before leaving his post had a meeting with the Armenian Community. The Minister of Tourism and Sport Lilia Kechichian (he is of Armenian nationality), Armenian honorable Consul in Uruguay Ruben Abrahamyan, Archbishop Hakob Kellenjian and the representatives of all Armenian organizations were present in the meeting.
Mujica, responding to the request of the Armenian Community agreed to sponsor the initiatives concerning the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide that will take place in Uruguay. "I know that the Turks will be offended, but I am sure that the Genocide occurred and if I can be of any use I will be glad to do that", - said the President. In answer to "Azatutyun’s" question, whether at last there will be justice in the question of the Armenian Genocide, Mujica said: "There will never be justice, because the pain and the damage that the Armenian Genocide has caused will not be possible to compensate. There are state interests which become obstacles in this question. The least thatTurkey can do today is to have courage to accept the atrocities they have committed."
It should be noted that Uruguay is a special country for Armenia. As it is known Uruguay was the first country in the world that in 1965 officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. As a sign of gratitude the square of Uruguay was built. In the framework of his visit to Uruguay in July, 2014 in a meeting with Mujica the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan declared that Uruguay has its greatest contribution in recognizing and condemning of the gravest crime against the Armenian nation and the whole humanity. In December 2014 during his visit to Armenia the Uruguay Senate president Danilo Astori referring to Uruguay’s approach towards the Armenian Genocide mentioned that the memory of the Genocide victims will always be kept bright in his country, as everything should be done to avoid the repetition of such things.
In autumn the people of Uruguay will say goodbye to the most famous President of the world - Jose Mujica. It was due to his "extreme" methods that Uruguay became "the most liberal country in Latin America". After winning in the presidential elections in 2009, Mujica said only one sentence: "Despite all these empty words, the world will not change." Becoming the president of Uruguay, he refused to live in the luxurious palace and now lives in his wife’s farm which is located in the outskirts of capitalMontevideo. In front of the house one can see a car of 1987 production. In 2013 the Economist journal recognized Uruguay the "country of the year".
It is also noteworthy that the President of Uruguay Jose Mujica lived in Armenia during the years of the Soviet Union.