Pelosi Statement on 94th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide

Pelosi Statement on 94th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide

Friday, April 24, 2009

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today to commemorate the 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:

â€Å"Today, we commemorate the 94th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and pay tribute to the victims and survivors. We know from their testimony and historical records that the Armenian genocide was conceived and carried out by the rulers of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923.

â€Å"It is estimated that more than 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children were killed and more than two million others were expelled from their homeland. International observers and diplomats to the Ottoman Empire, including U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, watched a nightmare unfurl and provided detailed accounts about 'a campaign of race extermination.'

â€Å"It is long past time for the U.S. Government to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide. If we ignore history then we are destined to repeat the mistakes of the past. The genocides in Rwanda and Darfur remind us that we must do more to prevent this from ever happening again.

â€Å"On this anniversary, we must remember the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide. We must also provide the leadership to ensure that this human tragedy is not repeated.”