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CR: Rep Visclosky memorializes the Armenian Genocide

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  • CR: Rep Visclosky memorializes the Armenian Genocide

    [Congressional Record: April 27, 2004 (Extensions)]
    [Page E662]
    >From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
    [DOCID:cr27ap04-38]




    ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

    ______


    HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

    of indiana

    in the house of representatives

    Tuesday, April 27, 2004

    Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solemn memorial to the
    estimated 1.5 million men, women, and children who lost their lives
    during the Armenian Genocide. As in the past, I am pleased to join so
    many distinguished House colleagues on both sides of the aisle in
    ensuring that the horrors wrought upon the Armenian people are never
    repeated.
    On April 24, 1915, over 200 religious, political, and intellectual
    leaders of the Armenian community were brutally executed by the Turkish
    government in Istanbul. Over the course of the next 8 years, this war
    of ethnic genocide against the Armenian community in the Ottoman Empire
    took the lives of over half the world's Armenian population.
    Sadly, there are some people who still deny the very existence of
    this period which saw the institutionalized slaughter of the Armenian
    people and dismantling of Armenian culture. To those who would question
    these events, I point to the numerous reports contained in the U.S.
    National Archives detailing the process that systematically decimated
    the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. However, old records are
    too easily forgotten--and dismissed. That is why we come together every
    year at this time: to remember in words what some may wish to file away
    in archives. This genocide did take place, and these lives were taken.
    That memory must keep us forever vigilant in our efforts to prevent
    these atrocities from ever happening again.
    I am proud to note that Armenian immigrants found, in the United
    States, a country where their culture could take root and thrive. Most
    Armenians in America are children or grandchildren of the survivors,
    although there are still survivors among us. In my district in
    Northwest Indiana, a vibrant Armenian-American community has developed
    and strong ties to Armenia continue to flourish. My predecessor in the
    House, the late Adam Benjamin, was of Armenian heritage, and his
    distinguished service in the House serves as an example to the entire
    Northwest Indiana community. Over the years, members of the Armenian-
    American community throughout the United States have contributed
    millions of dollars and countless hours of their time to various
    Armenian causes. Of particular note are Mrs. Vicki Hovanessian and her
    husband, Dr. Raffy Hovanessian, residents of Indiana's First
    Congressional District, who have continually worked to improve the
    quality of life in Armenia, as well as in Northwest Indiana. Three
    other Armenian-American families in my congressional district, Dr. Aram
    and Mrs. Seta Semerdjian, Dr. Heratch and Mrs. Sonya Doumanian, and Dr.
    Ara and Mrs. Rosy Yeretsian, have also contributed greatly toward
    charitable works in the United States and Armenia. Their efforts,
    together with hundreds of other members of the Armenian-American
    community, have helped to finance several important projects in
    Armenia, including the construction of new schools, a mammography
    clinic, and a crucial roadway connecting Armenia to Nagorno Karabagh.
    In the House, I have tried to assist the efforts of my Armenian-
    American constituency by continually supporting foreign aid to Armenia.
    This past year, with my support, Armenia received $84 million in U.S.
    aid to assist economic and military development. In addition, on April
    16, 2004, I joined several of my colleagues in signing the letter to
    President Bush urging him to honor his pledge to recognize the Armenian
    Genocide.
    The Armenian people have a long and proud history. In the fourth
    century, they became the first nation to embrace Christianity. During
    World War I, the Ottoman Empire was ruled by an organization known as
    the Young Turk Committee, which allied with Germany. Amid fighting in
    the Ottoman Empire's eastern Anatolian provinces, the historic
    heartland of the Christian Armenians, Ottoman authorities ordered the
    deportation and execution of all Armenians in the region. By the end of
    1923, virtually the entire Armenian population of Anatolia and western
    Armenia had either been killed or deported.
    While it is important to keep the lessons of history in mind, we must
    also remain committed to protecting Armenia from new and more hostile
    aggressors. In the last decade, thousands of lives have been lost and
    more than a million people displaced in the struggle between Armenia
    and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabagh. Even now, as we rise to
    commemorate the accomplishments of the Armenian people and mourn the
    tragedies they have suffered, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and other countries
    continue to engage in a debilitating blockade of this free nation.
    Consistently, I have testified before the Foreign Operations
    Appropriations Subcommittee on the important issue of bringing peace to
    a troubled area of the world. I continued my support for maintaining
    the level of funding for the Southern Caucasus region of the
    Independent States (IS), and of Armenia in particular. In addition, on
    February 26, 2004, I joined several of my colleagues in sending a
    letter to President Bush urging nim to ensure parity in military
    assistance between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
    Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues, Representatives Joe
    Knollenberg and Frank Pallone, for organizing this special order to
    commemorate the 89th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Their
    efforts will not only help bring needed attention to this tragic period
    in world history, but also serve to remind us of our duty to protect
    basic human rights and freedoms around the world.
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