[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 27104]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        TRAGIC EVENTS IN ARMENIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, it is with profound sadness that I rise 
today to indicate to my colleagues and the American people the tragic 
events that have taken place in the Republic of Armenia.
  News reports indicate that Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisian has been 
assassinated in an attack by four gunmen who stormed into Parliament 
during a session earlier today. Other lawmakers and government 
officials were killed in the attack in the Parliament chamber, 
including the Speaker of Parliament Karen Demirchian, according to news 
reports. The death of the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the 
Parliament have now been confirmed by the office of Armenia's 
president.
  The gunmen are currently holding some 100 hostages, including members 
of Parliament. However, the government is in full control of the 
situation outside Parliament in the Armenian capital of Yerevan and 
throughout the country. There is no state of emergency. There are no 
indications that this was part of any organized coup, but merely the 
action of a few gunmen whose motives are not yet clear.
  The Prime Minister and members of the government were gathered in 
Parliament for a presentation of the budget. So, clearly, the gunmen 
chose an occasion when they could attack many of the top leaders at one 
time. The gunmen have reportedly released the women hostages.
  Armenia's President Robert Kocharian was not at the Parliament 
complex at the time of the shooting. He is there now personally 
directing the security forces and trying to negotiate for the release 
of the remaining hostages.
  I want to stress, Mr. Speaker, that democracy in Armenia is strong. 
The commitment on the part of Armenia's elected leaders and the vast 
majority of Armenia people to democracy, to the orderly transfer of 
power, to peace and stability in Armenia and within the region, all 
remain as strong as ever.
  Clearly, Armenia must be in a state of shock right now. The same is 
true for me, Mr. Speaker, and for all the friends of Armenia in this 
Congress on both sides of the aisle and for all the American friends of 
Armenia, including more than one million Americans of Armenian descent. 
But Armenia will continue to move forward with the political and 
economical reforms it began when it won its independence more than 8 
years ago.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a special poignancy for me and many of my 
colleagues in learning of the death of Prime Minister Sarkisian. The 
Prime Minister was our guest in this very Capitol building just a few 
weeks ago, 4 weeks ago to be exact. More than 30 Members of Congress 
and many of our staff had the opportunity to hear the Prime Minister 
give a very strong speech in which he stressed his commitment to 
continuing with economic reforms while working for a settlement of the 
Nagorno Karabagh conflict and greater integration between Armenia and 
her neighbors.
  Vazgen Sarkisian had only been Prime Minister since May of this year 
following nationwide elections for the National Assembly, the 
Parliament. His party was the Unity Federation. Prior to becoming Prime 
Minister, he served as Defense Minister from 1995 to 1999. And like 
many political figures in Armenia, his real involvement in politics 
began in 1988, as the Soviet Union was collapsing. That year he joined 
the National Liberation Movement for Independence of Armenia and 
Constitutional Self-Determination of Nagorno Karabagh.
  Also, like many of the political leaders of today's Armenia, Prime 
Minister Sarkisian was quite young. He was only 40 years old and had an 
extremely bright future ahead of him as leader of his country.
  Mr. Sarkisian was committed to the goal of reform, rebuilding the 
nation after decades of Soviet domination. He supported integration of 
Armenia's economy with the region and the world. He sought to promote a 
society that protects private property with a stable currency and a 
balanced budget, while providing social protections to its citizens.
  During his visit to Washington, the Prime Minister met with Vice 
President Gore, attended World Bank and IMF meetings, and met with 
officials of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, as well as 
other Members of Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, Speaker Demirchian had been the leader of Armenia during 
Soviet times. In the post-Soviet Armenia, he has emerged as a champion 
of reform. I have had the opportunity to meet Mr. Demirchian during a 
congressional delegation to Armenia that I participated in this summer 
with four of my colleagues. We were all struck by the fact that the new 
leadership, with President Kocharian, Prime Minister Sarkisian, and 
Speaker Demirchian represented an extremely strong leadership team 
poised to lead Armenia into a new millennium and into an economic area 
of prosperity and peace.
  While I am sure President Kocharian will continue at that legacy, he 
has lost two valuable partners. Armenia and the world have lost two 
fine leaders. But even on this saddest of days, and it really is a very 
sad day, I am confident that Armenia will continue its progress in 
establishing a strong, prosperous, and free society.

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