Netherlands ministers unlikely to attend Armenia genocide ceremony

The government will very likely stick to its earlier decision not to send ministers to the commemoration of the Armenian genocide on Friday. Minister Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert said this to the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, NOS reports. A memorial will be held in the Armenian capital Yerevan. There were motions to have the Netherlands represented by the king and prime minister, but these failed. The Netherlands will now be represented by an ambassador. ChristenUnie faction leader Arie Slob therefore asked the government to consider sending someone from the cabinet to attend the commemorations in the Netherlands. Hennis told the Tweede Kamer that she will share the request with Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs, but she assumes that the "government will act as previously decided." According to Hennis there will be enough senior officials present at the commemorations in Assen and Almelo to express a "very appropriate level of compassion". The ChristenUnie called this decision disappointing. On Friday the 100 year anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide will be commemorated. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed by Ottoman forces.