Delegations from Syria, Iraq and Lebanon are also expected to attend
People gathered in Yerevan, Armenia, in April 2015, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide
An Egyptian delegation of Christian clergymen will attend the hundredth anniversary of the Armenian genocide this week, As reported Sunday.
Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II will head a delegation of 55 people, including Armenian expats in Egypt and journalists, to attend the genocide’s centennial in the Armenian capital Yerevan from 20 – 26 April.
Several heads of state are also expected to attend the memorial, including French President François Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades. Delegations from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait and UAE will also be present.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of them were killed between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing, and have long tried to get international recognition of the massacres as genocide.
Turkey, born from the remains of the Ottoman Empire, has vehemently denied a systematic mass killing of Armenians. Both countries have no diplomatic ties over the issue.