On June 5,
2013, the Civil Society Institute (CSI) organized a press conference and
discussion of the FIDH’s 38th World Congress
outcomes.

From May
23-27, 2013 the 38th Congress of the International Federation for Human Rights
(FIDH) took place in Istanbul, Turkey following the previous Congress held three years ago in Yerevan. This event gathered together human rights defenders
and organizations from over one
hundred countries, among them the Civil Society Institute, the FIDH’s Armenian member organization represented
by Artak Kirakosyan, CSI Chairman of the Board.

Both the Congress and the Forum organized in its
framework were widely highlighted in the Turkish
media and attracted public attention. The
Forum was attended by high level officials, such as Beşir Atalay,
Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH president, Sang-Hyun
Song, President of the International Criminal Court, Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace
Prize 2003 and Stavros Lambrinidis, European Union Special
Representative for Human Rights. During the Forum’s
closing session Abdullah
Gül, President of Turkey
delivered a speech welcoming the participants and emphasizing the meaning of
the FIDH Congress.

One of the
notable outcomes of the FIDH 38th Congress has been the ratification of a
resolution on Armenian-Turkish relations. On May 30 FIDH called on the Turkish
government to recognize the Armenian genocide, to stop blockading the Republic
of Armenia without any preconditions and to initiate immediate steps towards
establishing diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey.

Noteworthy
that the resolution was initiated jointly by the Civil Society Institute and
two Turkish human rights organizations – the Human Rights Association and the
Turkish Foundation for Human Rights. Also, during the Congress a street
action was organized to commemorate the Armenian genocide victims. FIDH members
and Turkish human rights defenders carried pictures of deported and killed Armenian
leaders and threw flowers into the waters of Bosporus.

“In the
context of issues highlighting Armenian-Turkish relations it is symbolic that
the recent FIDH Congress was organized in Istanbul following the previous, 37^th
one held in Yerevan. And it was really crucial for us to reach adoption of this
resolution which restates and further defines our appeals outlined back in 2010“,
noted Artak Kirakosyan, CSI Chairman of the Board and human rights defender.

The
full text of the resolution can be found at the following link, http://www.fidh.org/armenia-urgent-resolutions-adopted-by-the-fidh-at-its-38th-world-congress-13331