[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  OBSERVANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

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                        HON. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 2009

  Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, I rise in sorrow and in solidarity with 
Armenians, with our fellow citizens of Armenian descent, and with all 
men and women of good will to recall the atrocities Armenians suffered 
in the early years of the last century. Contemporary accounts leave no 
doubt that indiscriminate massacres took place.
  I understand that this topic evokes painful memories and raises 
difficult issues of national identity for persons of both Armenian and 
Turkish ancestry. Nonetheless, I believe that we must call genocide by 
its proper name and acknowledge it when it has occurred so that we may 
better learn to recognize and resist its horrors in the future. That 
includes recognizing the policies of the Ottoman Empire during World 
War I and its aftermath as genocidal.
  International response to genocide has historically been inadequate 
at best, and we must do all we can to strengthen our resolve to prevent 
and punish such atrocities. Moreover, I believe that nations can move 
forward in fellowship when the past is confronted with honesty and 
courage. I hope to see the republics of Armenia and Turkey cooperate 
and jointly contribute to the stability of their troubled region.

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