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| WWI Armenian memorial is unveiled | WWI Armenian memorial is unveiled |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A memorial is being unveiled in Cardiff to commemorate hundreds of thousands of Armenians who died in World War I. | A memorial is being unveiled in Cardiff to commemorate hundreds of thousands of Armenians who died in World War I. |
| Armenians say 1.5m were killed in the war, through systematic massacres or starvation, and allege deliberate genocide by the Ottoman Turkish empire. | Armenians say 1.5m were killed in the war, through systematic massacres or starvation, and allege deliberate genocide by the Ottoman Turkish empire. |
| But Turkey says there was no genocide, and there were massacres on both sides. | But Turkey says there was no genocide, and there were massacres on both sides. |
| The monument will stand in the gardens of the Temple of Peace on what is said to be the UK's first piece of public land donated for an Armenian memorial. | The monument will stand in the gardens of the Temple of Peace on what is said to be the UK's first piece of public land donated for an Armenian memorial. |
| Welsh assembly Presiding Officer Dafydd Elis-Thomas said Wales's relationship with Armenia "went back centuries". | Welsh assembly Presiding Officer Dafydd Elis-Thomas said Wales's relationship with Armenia "went back centuries". |
| He will receive a marble cross, or khatchkar, on behalf of Wales at the unveiling ceremony. | He will receive a marble cross, or khatchkar, on behalf of Wales at the unveiling ceremony. |
| Welsh interest | |
| Lord Elis-Thomas will join members of the Armenian and Christian communities on Saturday. | Lord Elis-Thomas will join members of the Armenian and Christian communities on Saturday. |
| He said: "Wales's relationship with one of the oldest states and the oldest Christian church in the world goes back centuries. | He said: "Wales's relationship with one of the oldest states and the oldest Christian church in the world goes back centuries. |
| "The fact that the funds for this fine memorial have been raised entirely by the Armenians who live in Wales and that it will occupy a special place here in the Temple of Peace, reflects the vibrant Welsh interest in the history of Armenia." | "The fact that the funds for this fine memorial have been raised entirely by the Armenians who live in Wales and that it will occupy a special place here in the Temple of Peace, reflects the vibrant Welsh interest in the history of Armenia." |
| The Welsh Centre for International Affairs, which is located at the Temple of Peace, is a forum which seeks to promote human rights and international understanding. | |
| Steven Thomas, its director sad: "We've held events at the Temple of Peace over the past seven years to note the Armenian genocide, including parts of ceremonies we've held for National Holocaust Remembrance Day in January each year. " | |
| However, he said there had been a "much bigger response" to the monument because the commemoration to the Armenians would literally be set in stone. |