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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2015
Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day
* *
This year we mark the centennial of the Meds Yeghern, the first mass
atrocity of the 20th Century. Beginning in 1915, the Armenian people
of the Ottoman Empire were deported, massacred, and marched to their
deaths. Their culture and heritage in their ancient homeland were
erased. Amid horrific violence that saw suffering on all sides, one
and a half million Armenians perished.
As the horrors of 1915 unfolded, U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau,
Sr. sounded the alarm inside the U.S. government and confronted
Ottoman leaders. Because of efforts like his, the truth of the Meds
Yeghern emerged and came to influence the later work of human rights
champions like Raphael Lemkin, who helped bring about the first United
Nations human rights treaty.
Against this backdrop of terrible carnage, the American and Armenian
peoples came together in a bond of common humanity. Ordinary American
citizens raised millions of dollars to support suffering Armenian
children, and the U.S. Congress chartered the Near East Relief
organization, a pioneer in the field of international humanitarian
relief. Thousands of Armenian refugees began new lives in the United
States, where they formed a strong and vibrant community and became
pillars of American society. Rising to great distinction as
businesspeople, doctors, scholars, artists, and athletes, they made
immeasurable contributions to their new home.
This centennial is a solemn moment. It calls on us to reflect on the
importance of historical remembrance, and the difficult but necessary
work of reckoning with the past. I have consistently stated my own
view of what occurred in 1915, and my view has not changed. A full,
frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts is in all our interests.
Peoples and nations grow stronger, and build a foundation for a more
just and tolerant future, by acknowledging and reckoning with painful
elements of the past. We welcome the expression of views by Pope
Francis, Turkish and Armenian historians, and the many others who have
sought to shed light on this dark chapter of history.
On this solemn centennial, we stand with the Armenian people in
remembering that which was lost. We pledge that those who suffered
will not be forgotten. And we commit ourselves to learn from this
painful legacy, so that future generations may not repeat it.
###
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2015
Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day
* *
This year we mark the centennial of the Meds Yeghern, the first mass
atrocity of the 20th Century. Beginning in 1915, the Armenian people
of the Ottoman Empire were deported, massacred, and marched to their
deaths. Their culture and heritage in their ancient homeland were
erased. Amid horrific violence that saw suffering on all sides, one
and a half million Armenians perished.
As the horrors of 1915 unfolded, U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau,
Sr. sounded the alarm inside the U.S. government and confronted
Ottoman leaders. Because of efforts like his, the truth of the Meds
Yeghern emerged and came to influence the later work of human rights
champions like Raphael Lemkin, who helped bring about the first United
Nations human rights treaty.
Against this backdrop of terrible carnage, the American and Armenian
peoples came together in a bond of common humanity. Ordinary American
citizens raised millions of dollars to support suffering Armenian
children, and the U.S. Congress chartered the Near East Relief
organization, a pioneer in the field of international humanitarian
relief. Thousands of Armenian refugees began new lives in the United
States, where they formed a strong and vibrant community and became
pillars of American society. Rising to great distinction as
businesspeople, doctors, scholars, artists, and athletes, they made
immeasurable contributions to their new home.
This centennial is a solemn moment. It calls on us to reflect on the
importance of historical remembrance, and the difficult but necessary
work of reckoning with the past. I have consistently stated my own
view of what occurred in 1915, and my view has not changed. A full,
frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts is in all our interests.
Peoples and nations grow stronger, and build a foundation for a more
just and tolerant future, by acknowledging and reckoning with painful
elements of the past. We welcome the expression of views by Pope
Francis, Turkish and Armenian historians, and the many others who have
sought to shed light on this dark chapter of history.
On this solemn centennial, we stand with the Armenian people in
remembering that which was lost. We pledge that those who suffered
will not be forgotten. And we commit ourselves to learn from this
painful legacy, so that future generations may not repeat it.
###