[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 43 (Tuesday, April 19, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
      COMMEMORATING THE 79TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  Mr. RIEGLE. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the victims 
of one of the bleakest episodes in human history. This Saturday, April 
24, marks the 79th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian 
Genocide. On that date in 1915, the Ottoman Turks began escalating 
their campaign to wipe out the Armenian population of the Ottoman 
Empire. By 1923, more than 1.5 million Armenians had died and more than 
500,000 had been forced from their homes. Today we honor those who died 
during the first genocide of the 20th century and refocus on the 
repeated instances of genocide that have occurred this century.
  At the time of the Armenian Genocide, Europe was being torn apart by 
World War I and the Ottoman Empire was experiencing a rapid decline in 
power. By the end of the war, Russia, fighting on the side of the 
allies, would invade Turkey and deal a crushing blow to the Ottoman 
rulers. Internally, the Ottomans had turned to a leadership that 
espoused pan-Turkish nationalism, and sought to annihilate non-Turkish 
populations within the empire. In particular, the Ottomans escalated 
their campaign designed to eliminate the entire Armenian population.
  On the night of April 24, 1915, more than 200 Armenian religious, 
political, and intellectual leaders were rounded up in Constantinople. 
In a gruesome preview of what was in store for other Armenians, these 
leaders of the community were taken to a remote location inside Turkey 
and brutally executed.
  Following the executions of these leaders, the Ottomans began their 
campaign of mass deportations and systematic extermination. Virtually 
all Armenians throughout the empire were either rounded up and 
massacred or forced to march to remote areas of Turkey. Countless 
Armenians died during these forced marches, although 500,000 
miraculously escaped to Russia, other Arab countries, and to Europe and 
the United States. By 1923 1.5 million Armenians were dead, and the 
Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire had been virtually 
eliminated.
  Today, the memory of this tragic episode in history serves to unite 
Armenians worldwide, many of whose family members were lost during this 
brutal crusade. We must continue our efforts to commemorate this event, 
despite the efforts of those who would deny its very existence. Even 
the present government of Turkey seeks to erase the memory of the 
Armenian Genocide despite the wealth of information that exists. By 
paying tribute to those Armenians who died, we do not seek to confront 
Turkey, which has been a valuable ally both economically and 
militarily. Rather, we seek to remind ourselves of the brutality of the 
ethic conflicts that have exploded this century. Only by acknowledging 
past episodes such as this can we hope to prevent them from recurring.
  The Armenian Genocide is especially important since it appears to 
have emboldened Hitler in his persecution of the Jews. It has often 
been reported that one of Hitler's aides suggested that world public 
opinion would be extremely hostile if he proceeded with his plans to 
exterminate the Jews. To this he replied, ``Who remembers the 
Armenians?'' One of the most painful episodes in history would follow 
in which more than 6 million Jews would perish in the concentration 
camps of the Holocaust. Soon, untold Soviet citizens would die in 
Stalin's gulags and millions of Cambodians would suffer the same fate 
under Pol Pot's regime.
  Today, the world is again witnessing another, similar conflict in 
Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this as well as other republics of the 
former Yugoslavia, the ruthless policy of ethnic cleansing continues, 
yet the world community is still ill-equipped to stop it. The end of 
the bipolar system that existed since World War II means that more of 
these conflicts will erupt in the future. We are working slowly to 
redefine the international institutions that will deal with world 
crises. As we do, we must remember that throughout the 20th century 
there have been numerous episodes in which a group of people attempted 
to eliminate another group. The Armenian Genocide was not the first in 
history; the conflict in Bosnia will not be the last.
  Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide is also important in light of 
the continued suffering of the people of present-day Armenia. In 1991 
Armenia gained its independence from the Soviet Union, but has 
struggled since then to rebuild its economic and political structures. 
Armenians are still engaged in a conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan 
over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabagh. Thousands more 
Armenians have died during this conflict and continue to die today. The 
United States, as a member of the Commission for Cooperation and 
Security in Europe, must continue its efforts to end this brutal 
conflict and allow the Armenian people to begin the process of 
rebuilding their country.
  Mr. President, I would finally like to note that this will be the 
last year that I will have the opportunity, as a Member of the Senate, 
to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. Throughout my years in the 
Congress I have worked closely with the Armenian community. I am proud 
of the strong Armenian-American population in Michigan and I am proud 
of the important work of the Armenian Studies Center at the University 
of Michigan. I will always remember the close and strong relationship I 
have had with Armenian-Americans and I strongly encourage my colleagues 
to continue the fight for the rights of Armenians around the world.

  Most importantly I encourage my colleagues to continue to commemorate 
April 24 as the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian 
people's ability to survive in the face of the repression carried out 
against them stands as a monument to their endurance and will to live. 
The world must speak with one voice in condemning the atrocities 
committed against the Armenian people. Only by working to preserve the 
truth about this tragedy can we hope to spare future generations from 
the horrors of the past.

                          ____________________