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Washington, D.C. - The long-sought effort to gain official recognition of the Armenian Genocide will continue this week when the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues holds a memorial observance on Wednesday, in advance of the April 24 anniversary of the mass killing that took the lives of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. and U.S. Rep. Mark Steven Kirk announced on Tuesday.
Pallone and Kirk, who serve as co-chairmen of the caucus, said the Armenian Genocide Observance, marking the 94th anniversary of the attempted annihilation of an entire people, is not just about history, it is another opportunity to press the United States government to officially accept the fact that the genocide occurred.
The observance ceremony will include congressional and community speakers paying tribute to the 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children who were systematically annihilated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Genocide scholar Henry Theriault will be among the speakers addressing the history of the Armenian Genocide, the threat of genocide denial, and the future of genocide prevention and intervention.
The Armenian Genocide Observance will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2009, in The Cannon House Caucus Room in Washington, D.C. April 24, 2009 is the 94th Anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide.
Pallone, along with former Congressman John Porter, founded the Armenian caucus in 1995 to address Armenia's economic isolation and to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the genocide. The caucus has also been advocating for recognition of the genocide as a means of honoring its victims, a way to require Turkey to come to terms with its own history and to prevent a shroud of denial from covering up one of the most horrific tragedies in world history.
President Barack Obama has expressed optimism that the two countries will normalize relations, which would include lifting the blockade against travel and trade imposed in 1993 by Turkey along the border with Armenia. By coming to terms with the past and reconciling any current conflicts, Turkey and Armenia will help bring more stability to a volatile and strategic region of the world, Pallone and Kirk said.
To learn more about the Armenian Genocide: http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/Genocide/armenian_genocide.htm
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