Political Quotes

“I rise to commemorate the 87th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and pay my solemn respects to those who lost their lives because of their ethnicity. The Armenian Genocide was a terrible tragedy that must never be forgotten. On April 24, 1915, hundreds of Armenian leaders were murdered in Istanbul by order of the Young Turk regime of the Ottoman empire. The Young Turks were a dictatorial regime that orchestrated the systematic destruction of the Armenian people in the Ottoman empire. This genocide occurred through forced labor, concentration camps and death marches. By 1923, the Ottoman empire had killed 1.5 million Armenians and deported 500,000. However, the present day Turkish government has not yet admitted its involvement in the Armenian Genocide. This denial disrespects the memories of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and compels its survivors and all of us to remind the world of this terrible tragedy every April 24th. Only by raising our voices together will these crimes be known, condemned forever, and--hopefully--never repeated. Today, I beseech the Turkish government to finally acknowledge its role in the Armenian Genocide. In attempting the systematic annihilation of the Jews of Europe half a century ago, Adolph Hitler asked ``Who today remembers the annihilation of the Armenians?'' We answer: we remember. And it is long past time for the Turkish government to join us in remembering.”