Video of Congressman Sherman in Action
Washington, D.C. - The House International Relations Committee on Thursday adopted a pair of resolutions calling on Turkey to acknowledge the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I.
“It is long past time for us to criticize the Ottoman Empire for the first genocide of the 20th century,” said Congressman Brad Sherman, a member of the prestigious panel.
“Ignoring genocide is the last act of genocide,” Sherman added. “Where would modern Germany be if it was ruled by a government denying the Holocaust?”
One resolution calls on Turkey to acknowledge the actions of the Ottoman state from 1915 to 1923, when the extermination campaign claimed about 1.5 million Armenian lives. It also urges Turkey to build closer relations with Armenia. The second measure calls on U.S. presidents to take the Armenian genocide into account in determining this country’s foreign policy.
Both resolutions, which are opposed by the Bush administration, were approved by overwhelming bipartisan majorities. Similar measures have cleared committee before, but were stymied by House leaders who blocked consideration by the full House. Sherman urged House leaders to permit votes on the latest resolutions.
The committee votes coincided with visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the US.
“It is an act of friendship with the people of Turkey that we pass these resolutions,” Sherman said. “Turkey can move forward only by truthfully acknowledging its past.”
