Jack Reed: “on behalf of the Armenian population of Rhode Island and Armenians around the world, I want to recognize the 91st…”

“on behalf of the Armenian population of Rhode Island and Armenians around the world, I want to recognize the 91st anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Ninety-one years ago today, April 24, the Young Turk leaders of the Ottoman Empire summoned and executed over 200 Armenian community leaders. By 1923, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were murdered, and another one half million were exiled, affecting the lives of every Armenian in Asia Minor. Author John Minassian, a survivor of the 1915 Armenian genocide, tells of his experience. ``These fine people were now being made into refugees only because they had clung to their ancient beliefs and the faith of their ancestors. They marched proudly under a yoke of hatred, prejudice and bigotry, their morale high, their spirit as yet unbroken. They knew that their only `crime' was being Armenian.'' The Armenian genocide was condemned at the time by representatives of the British, French, Russian, German, and Austrian Governments, both foes and allies of the Ottoman Empire. Today, as a cosponsor of S. Res. 320, I call on the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the record of the United States relating to the Armenian genocide. Armenian soldiers have supported Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of the Polish-led multinational division in south-central Iraq.…”