[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 28, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E797-E798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                84TH COMMEMORATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. MICHAEL R. McNULTY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 1999

  Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I join with my many colleagues today in 
remembering the victims of the Armenian Genocide. But rather than 
repeat what has already been said, let me say a few words about the 
very positive spirit of the Armenian people. They endured a great deal 
before, during and after the genocide. They were also under the 
totalitarian dictatorship of the Soviet Union for many decades.
  That all ended in 1991, and I was there to see it. I was one of the 
four international observers from the United States Congress to monitor 
Armenia's independence referendum. I went to the communities in the 
northern part of Armenia, and I watched in awe as 95 percent of all of 
the people over the age of 18 went out and voted. And, of course, I 
thought

[[Page E798]]

how great it would be if we could get that kind of participation in our 
own democratic elections here in the United States of America. 
Sometimes we take things for granted.
  But the Armenian people had been denied freedom for so many years, 
and they were very excited about this new opportunity. As best I could 
determine it, Mr. Speaker, almost no one stayed home. They were all out 
in the streets going to the polling places. I watched people stand in 
line for hours to get into these small polling places and vote.
  Then, after they voted, the other interesting thing was that they did 
not go home. They had brought covered dishes with them, and all of 
these polling places had little banquets afterward to celebrate what 
had just happened.
  What a great thrill it was to join them the next day in the streets 
of Yerevan when they were celebrating their great victory. Ninety-eight 
percent of the people who voted cast their ballots in favor of 
independence. It was a wonderful experience to be there with them when 
they danced and sang and shouted, ``Ketse azat ankakh Hayastan''--long 
live free and independent Armenia. That should be the cry of all 
freedom-loving people everywhere.

                          ____________________