The Right Honourable Rishi Sunak MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA
April 24, 2024
Dear Prime Minister,
I am writing to you on the occasion of the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. On April
24th, Armenians worldwide commemorate this day, which has profoundly impacted millions and
continues to resonate in our collective memory.
The United Kingdom has always been at the forefront of defending human rights and justice on
the global stage. Historical figures such as former Prime Ministers David Lloyd George and Sir
Winston Churchill have openly spoken about the massacres of Armenians from 1915 to 1923,
referring to them as “the holocausts of 1915” and the “clearance of the Armenian race from Asia-
Minor,” respectively.
These acknowledgements from your predecessors underscore the
significance of the events that transpired and the importance of formally recognising them.
In recent years, the global community has made significant strides in acknowledging historical
injustices, including key allies such as the United States and several European nations formally
recognising the Armenian Genocide.
This recognition is not merely symbolic but serves as a
powerful statement against atrocities and a step toward preventing future acts of genocide.
Unfortunately, the atrocities committed against the Armenians over a century ago in the Ottoman
Empire have yet again been repeated recently. Following the 44-day devastating war in Artsakh
in the autumn of 2020, in September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a campaign which Raphael
Lemkin, who coined the term “genocide,” defined as ” a coordinated plan of different actions
aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of
annihilating the groups themselves.””
The nine-month blockade of Artsakh (known as Nagorno
Karabakh) was the beginning of such a genocidal policy, culminating with a military atrocity that
resulted in the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from their ancestral homeland.
Today, as we witness ongoing conflicts and challenges to international law and human rights, the
role of historical truth in fostering peace and justice has never been more critical. The United
Kingdom’s formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide would send a strong message to the
world about our commitment to historical truth and justice, transcending political and economic
interests.
Prime Minister, the Armenian diaspora was formed not as a result of natural migration but because
our people were forced to flee their historical homeland; our people were killed, raped, sent on
death marches to the Syrian deserts, and our churches and homes were burnt and totally destroyed.
The same is happening now. Today, the Azerbaijani government, backed by Turkey, continues to
threaten Armenia, and exerts pressure to gain control over more territories within the sovereign
territory of Armenia.
I respectfully urge you and the government to formally recognise the Armenian Genocide. Such
an act of recognition would not only honour the memory of those who suffered and affirm justice
but would also reaffirm the UK’s commitment to upholding human rights.
Recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the UK would also send a clear message to Turkey and
Azerbaijan to cease their aggression against Armenia. Indeed, there is a high risk that the actions
of Turkey and Azerbaijan would result in a new war breaking out, adding a third conflict to a world
already beset with global uncertainty and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Thank you for considering this significant and heartfelt request.
I look forward to your support in making this recognition a reality, as it would profoundly resonate
with all who cherish justice and historical truth.
Yours faithfully,
BISHOP HOVAKIM MANUKYAN
Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church in the UK and Ireland
THE RT REVD AND RT HON DR ROWAN WILLIAMS,
Baron Williams of Oystermouth
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE DAVID ALTON
The Lord Alton of Liverpool
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE BARONESS CAROLINE COX
Member of the House of Lords
ARCHBISHOP ANGAELOS
Archbishop of London Coptic Orthodox Church and Papal Legate to the United Kingdom
ARCHBISHOP ATHANASIUS TOMA
Syriac Orthodox Archbishop in the UK
ARCHBISHOP ABRAHAM MAR STEPHANOS
Metropolitan of UK- Europe-Africa Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
FATHER MARK WOODRUFF,
Chairman of the Society of St John Chrysostom
THE RT REVD CHRISTOPHER CHESSUN
The Lord Bishop of Southwark (Church of England)
THE VERY REVEREND DR CHRISTOPHER COCKSWORTH
Dean of Windsor
The Rt REVD David Walker
Bishop of Manchester (Church of England)
The Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin
Director of the Centre for Cultural Witness
Lambeth Palace
BISHOP MIKE ROYAL General Secretary,
Churches Together in England
REVEREND CANON HELEN CAMERON
Chair of the Northampton District, Moderator of the Free Churches Group, President of Churches
Together in England
DR NICOLA BRADY, GENERAL SECRETARY,
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
