Remarks of the NKR Representative to the United States Robert Avetisyan during Armenian Genocide Observance on Capitol Hill

Ladies and gentlemen,

Allow me to thank the co-chairs of the Armenian Caucus, Representatives Frank Pallone and Mark Kirk, for their leadership in organizing this event and bringing us all together on the Capitol Hill to pay tribute to the memory of innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The co-chairs deserve a special credit for their outstanding leadership on the issues of great significance for the Armenian-American community, for the United States, Armenia and Artsakh.

Allow me also to extend my deepest sympathy to the Genocide survivor, Yeretskin Sirarpi Khoyan, for her personal courage that inspires all our compatriots and friends in the United States and around the globe to continue selfless struggle for the historical justice; which, we believe, will ultimately prevail over Turkey’s policy of denial and blind attempts to rewrite the history.

All we can promise today is that small and young, yet strong Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh Republic will defend the truth at all costs; help to promote a safer world by raising global awareness about the tragedy of our people. Every year more and more nations condemn the Armenian Genocide, and call on Turkey to come clean about the 1915 events. The united and steadfast efforts have made this process irreversible and will bring to the only just conclusion.

We must help also the Turkish people and its leadership to comprehend that each nation, small and great, must reconcile with its heritage, no matter how dark sometimes it is. The history shows that this is an absolute necessity for any people to continue developing, and be regarded as a trustful and predictable member of the international community.

The recent history of Artsakh, the Balkans, Rwanda and other places around the globe proves yet again that the evil of Genocide still does exist. Unfortunately, the world community has failed so far to provide an effective mechanism to prevent genocidal crimes, which encourages criminal regimes for new atrocities, many of which still go unpunished. And this, in many respects, is conditioned by the absence of the universal proper condemnation of what happened to the Armenian people 95 years ago.

The legislature of this powerful democracy has a moral responsibility to properly characterize the Ottoman Turkey’s genocidal actions.

On behalf of my people and authorities, I would like to thank once again our congressional friends for their tireless efforts to bring this issue to its successful and final outcome. Recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States will send a strong warning signal to those who still plan ethnic cleansings that the truth will prevail, that criminal actions will be named for what they are and perpetrators will bear the responsibility. Armenians around the world, including the strong Armenian Diaspora in the United States, must continue working with their elected officials to achieve recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

On our part, we will spare no effort to fulfill the dream of all genocide survivors and the entire Armenian nation – a dream of a strong, secure and prosperous Armenian homeland.

Thank you.