[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 55 (Wednesday, April 21, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S4023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION

  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the 84th 
anniversary of the Armenian genocide. This is an event that has defined 
the Armenian people for the past 84 years, and my thoughts and 
sympathies are again with them as they remember these events.
  It is with a great sense of sorrow that we mark the 84th year since 
the tragic genocide and exile of the Armenian people. The Turkish 
Ottoman Empire expelled nearly 1.5 million Armenians as part of a 
staged campaign. In doing so, the world witnessed one of the most 
sobering events in modern history. As the first genocide of the 20th 
century, the period between 1915 and 1918 deserves our attention and 
respect, and it should remind us of the need to keep all those who 
perished during the Genocide alive in our memory.
  While humankind has the ability to sponsor acts of great kindness and 
sacrifice, we also have the capacity for great evil. By pausing to 
commemorate the Armenian Genocide, we ensure that it will never slip 
into the recesses of history. Along with the Holocaust, the Armenian 
Genocide signifies our ability to promote evil, but if we close our 
eyes to the tragedies of the past, we risk the chance of repeating them 
in the future.
  Sadly, the Armenian American community has its roots in the Armenian 
Genocide. Many individuals living here in the United States either lost 
family members at the hands of the Ottomans, or are survivors 
themselves. They have risen above adversity to become prominent and 
successful citizens despite a tragic past. The Armenian American 
community has been vocal in expressing its anguish about the Genocide. 
It is my hope that their perseverance in marking this event each year, 
as well as our own efforts here in the United States Senate, will be 
enough to allow us to remember the lessons of the Genocide. We are 
constantly forced to relearn the effects of evil unchecked, but I hope, 
in this case, we will be guided to a better future.

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