Martin Meehan: “On May 28, 1918, Armenia declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire. In doing so, it was victorious in its…”

“On May 28, 1918, Armenia declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire. In doing so, it was victorious in its struggle against that hostile government and soon began a new struggle to overcome the effects of the deplorable Genocide of 1915 and 1916. This April, we commemorate the 79th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide so as to honor the memory of the countless victims of this tragedy. Over one and a half million innocent people were massacred and those who survived were permanently exiled from their historic homeland. for more than 80 years the Armenian people labored against oppression, working to maintain their culture, language and church. On September 21, 1991, the Armenian people, through a national referendum, chose independence from the former Soviet Union, whose Red Army had crushed the nationalist movement in 1921. On December 25, 1991, the United States officially recognized Armenia as an independent sovereign nation. While this is a significant step, and we welcome Armenia into the family of nations, I am fearful that the Azeri blockade of Armenia will cause history to repeat itself. I am keenly interested in trying to alleviate this desperate situation. Turkey must be persuaded to influence the Azerbaijanis to end their blockade of Armenia. It is imperative that humanitarian aid be able to reach this beleaguered nation, but it cannot be fully successful until there is peace in the area.”