[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 21, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H2769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  (Mr. SARBANES asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support 
for official U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide. Notable 
scholars and historians who recognize the Armenian genocide include the 
International Association of Genocide Scholars and the Elie Wiesel 
Foundation for Humanity whose findings are supported by 53 Nobel 
Laureates. Yet, in the face of all the evidence, Turkey presses on, 
exporting a legacy of genocide denial, a legacy it continues to enforce 
within its own borders.
  Many of my colleagues express sympathy for the genocide victims but 
are hesitant to vote for recognition. Turkey's relentless lobbying 
campaign, which threatens retaliation should the U.S. recognize this 
historical reality, has had its intended effect. Some Members of 
Congress worry that recognition will cause irreparable harm to U.S.-
Turkish relations and therefore undermine the United States' strategic 
interests. ``It's just not a good time'' is a common refrain. That 
excuse is always available, but it is a wholly inadequate excuse.
  For the sake of its core values and in true furtherance of its 
strategic interests, the United States must take a deep breath, look 
its ally, Turkey, in the eye and recognize this tragic episode of the 
modern era to be an unambiguous fact of history.

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