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Pallone Commemorates 95th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide |
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Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Co-Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, issued the following statement at the commemoration ceremony of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
“Welcome. It is heartening to see so many familiar faces and friends here this evening. For thousands of years, the Armenian people have been known for their perseverance in the face of great challenges. Tonight we will honor the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide on 95th anniversary.”
“As we commemorate the victims, we pay homage to the Armenian people for their strength to overcome adversity. We will also hear from Members of Congress and leaders of the Armenian community as to how important recognition of the Armenian Genocide is today and what the path is forward.
“I am pleased to be here tonight with my fellow Co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, Congressman Mark Kirk, from Illinois.
“I also greatly appreciate the presence a Genocide Survivor who is with us tonight, Yeretsgeen Sirarpi Khoyan, and two leaders in the Armenian-American religious community, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, and Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian.
“I appreciate the Diplomatic representatives, Armenian Ambassador to the US, Tatoul Markarian and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Representative Robert Avetyisian for attending.
"I want to thank the Armenian Organizations who have fought for so long for Genocide Recognition for helping to bring the community to this event. We have members of the Armenian National Committee of America and the Armenian Assembly of America with us.
“We also have a number of school groups that have traveled to Washington to commemorate the genocide and I owe a special thanks to the Hovnanian Armenian School from my home state of New Jersey.
“This week is always a somber week for me as I reflect on the victims of the Armenian Genocide, the continued denial by the Turkish government, and our own government’s inaction in using the word genocide to describe these events.
“Since I first came to Congress I have been pushing for Turkey to acknowledge the fact of the Armenian Genocide and reconcile itself with its own history. Our government’s complacency is simply unacceptable when it comes to taking a moral position and recognizing genocide—wherever it may occur.
“The Armenian Genocide is the first genocide of the twentieth century. Between 1915 and 1923 1.5 million Armenians were systematically and deliberately killed by the Ottoman Turks.
“The Armenian Genocide has been recognized by scholars all over the world, including the International Association of Genocide Scholars and has been recognized by NATO allies and the European Parliament.
“The Genocide has been widely documented as historical fact. Our own National Archives and writings from US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, display how the Ottoman government decided to target the Armenians, move them towards what is the modern day Syrian Dessert, and kill them indiscriminately.
“The Armenian Genocide is a dark day in history, but it must be remembered and reaffirmed to ensure that not only are the victims and survivors honored, and so that we can make it clear that genocide will never be tolerated, past or present.
“The House of Representatives made a strong statement this year by passing the Armenian Genocide Resolution through the Foreign Affairs Committee. This truly was a testament to the perseverance of all of you here in ensuring that the genocide is reaffirmed and recognized.
“I remain committed to protecting the Armenian Genocide Resolution and ensuring that we have secured support of the majority of the entire House of Representatives so that we can close this chapter in American history with success.
“Tonight is a time to remember. We would do well to commemorate the bravery of those who perished in and survived the Armenian Genocide by officially recognizing the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks for what it was, Genocide.
“Thank you for being here tonight. I am always glad to see so many individuals devoted to this cause.”
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